Cyan SOLDIER
by CyanDiamondIce
Summary: Teleported to Gaia, Ari has been accepted as SOLDIER. Knowing what happens to the people around her, she struggles whether she should try to change their future or focus purely on getting back home. Rated M for later chapters and language.
1. Chapter 1

Dry arid desert sun blazed down, baking everything in its wake. Its rays becoming slowly apparent to the unconscious girl, sleep induced through dimension travel. Her cyan hair flipped along with the breeze blowing across, dust slowly caking on.

" _Nat! Kaylie!" Her throat rumbling in half animal tongue. In horror the two plummeted to the earth and landed with a bang. Mother earth now had another crater to blemish her beautiful skin. Though, she on the other hand, floated mid-air still trying to process her best friends laying there defeated._

It felt good, the sun, but also a foreboding raked her. While she laid there, the teenager began to hear voices as consciousness began to reform itself. Distant as they were, there were voices. Masculine and strong with confidence. Who could be all the way out here?

 _She tried to get back to them but Kaiman blocked her. His cascading gradient blue hair swiveling with his sporadic movements those grey eyes of his slit like a lizard. He was beyond reasoning and for once she felt like she was on the losing end._

Those voices were becoming clearer, closer too. Their conversation sounded of battles and work. Were they mercenaries? She began to notice pain too. Very slight at the moment but it was there nonetheless. In a way, she hoped those voices would stay away.

" _This is it for you!" His maniacal laugh resonated and echoed across the land. She had let up her guard for one moment and here she was. On the verge of collapsing and defeat. It would be her first. All that she could remember before passing out was that round house kick to her head and the portal zipping open._

"...hey...Hey...HEY!" She cringed at the yelling and absent mindedly glared up at the culprit. Even a slight snarl made him jump. When she couldn't recognize his face her bright blue eyes shot open leaping back away from him. He fell back onto his butt with an "ooph", his black hair spiked up absurdly natural and his strong pale blue eyes watching her in wonder. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion before noticing three other men.

The other three watched with mild suspicion. She felt it despite their calm collected demeanor. Silence had crashed down as the group continued in their staring contest until Ari decided to start up a little conversation. Her attention went to the first black haired man.

"Who are you?" He seemed familiar. In all honesty she would admit he looked like the video game character, Zack Fair. It wasn't possible though, that was just a game. With the men behind him, they all looked like others from the same game. He sat there for a moment processing what she had just said. Irritated Ari huffed and they young man stumbled out his words.

"I-I'm Zack Fair! Please," the boy finally stands up regaining his composure before his betters. "I didn't mean to gape, I was just surprised at your quick comeback after being unconscious." She eyed him for a moment then straightened up herself. Ari sensed nothing wrong about these few, in fact they seemed to emit a benevolent aura...despite them trying to play off as some of the most important characters of all video game history.

"And why did that surprise you? Your attire tells me that you are a warrior, correct?" He nodded his head. "No matter where you are, you should always expect the unexpected." The Zack before her shifted a little uncomfortably. Perhaps his mentors had told him the same thing before many times and with them watching him right now, it was probably embarrassing for a stranger to say the same thing.

With a soft sigh she turned around and began her way noticing that she was right smack dab in the middle of a desert. Granted she would have pulled out her wings and flown across this world but she would rather keep her abilities secret from these few.

"Wait!" Confused she stopped and turned enough to the young boy, roughly looking her age. Her cyan orbs giving off a cool gaze with a hint of huntress showing through, the boy almost stopped. "Why don't you come with us?" Finally the three older men made a move. The red head rebuked his subordinates exclamation.

"She is an outsider! Someone like her doesn't belong among men!" Ari turned to the red head glaring with dark eyes.

"Someone like me doesn't belong with men? Please, explain what you mean by that." She turned fully to him, her bright blue trench coat fluttering with the gentle breeze. He turned to her with dangerous eyes.

"Please you're a woman! Women are frail; they only ever get in the way." Right at that she scoffed and laughed lightly. He glared, "what's so funny?"

"You." She leaned her head to the side, examining him in the most degrading way she could. "Let's see, young, but getting on to middle ages, slim to stay agile, and yet," she laughed a little, "you're still a pretty boy." The man snarled and only agitated more when she smirked.

"You brat. You're hardly old enough to wield a sword! Which I don't see one on you!" Out of habit she rolled her eyes, unimpressed with his arrogance.

"Arrogance will get you no where. I have one, I hardly need it." Using her ice, Ari formed a blade beneath her cloak so that it looked as though she had one when time arose.

His vibrant blue eyes snarled in aggravation making him pull out his own sword. Ari cocked her head watching his body for signs of aggression. The bigger black haired man to his left said something to the red head but obviously it went in one ear and out the other. Their silver haired companion eased the black haired man and allowed events to play out.

Ari's aggressor leaped without warning which hardly phased her as she could see each movement with ease. Timing her blow just right, she parried him and jumped off to the side as he made a counter attack. This man was definitely agile and quick to which she smirked at.

She dealt another parry and while he was recovering Ari rushed him, their blades meeting one another in a flashy kiss. Sparks fly as blow after blow come to clash until he began firing fireballs at her. Ari managed to slice a few and dodge the rest.

Her blue eyes glimmered with animalistic drive as her fight began to delve into the hunt. The wolf inside slowly became more and more prominent

 _'Ari...control yourself. Don't show them everything.'_ She shook her head lightly, clearing out befuddling thoughts. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood straight and sheathed her sword. The red head glared impatiently.

"What are you doing?" Ari gazed at him lazily.

"I'm done with you. It's meaningless by this point." She noticed the two in the back gave a nod in agreement. He scoffed at her.

"You're only giving up 'cause you can't win!" Ari shrugged her shoulders.

"Think whatever you may." Zack placed a hand on his better's shoulder.

"Genesis, let it go. She's not an enemy."

 _'Genesis...and Zack...is it possible that Kore sent me to a whole other dimension? Or did he build one? Can he play God?'_ She stood there mulling over the facts laid out before her as the two were arguing over whether or not Ari was a friend or at least a non-threat.

"Girl, what is your name?" Her cyan eyes turned to her left to find what would be the Sephiroth approaching her casually. She gave him a slight glare so that he knew that the title "girl" didn't sit well.

"Ari Renzo." The other black haired man, who she would have guessed to be Angeal Hewley, spoke up next.

"Please excuse us. My comrade here is Sephiroth and I'm Angeal. We would like to apologize for Genesis and his brash attitude." She shrugged unsure how to feel. Being only a few inches taller than five foot, the two men before her made Ari feel rather tiny.

She made a quick look around and began to recognize the area. Indeed she stood in the middle of a desert and not just any desert; the one right outside what would be known as Edge. Realizing that she was in audience of some important individuals she returned her attention to them.

"Sorry, I'm trying to figure out where I am...Angeal, right?" The man nodded his head and begun to explain where she was.

Indeed Ari had landed outside in the middle of the desert not far from Midgar. She nodded and went along with what was going on.

"By the way..." her attention snapped up to Sephiroth, "you aren't from Shinra. Since you haven't had the Mako experiments, how do you have those vivid blue eyes?"

Her heart dropped. How was she supposed to weasel her way out of this? For a moment Ari silently stood there watching the two.

"It's a long story..." Unable to bear his rock hard stare, the young woman turned away looking off into the distance. Angeal and Sephiroth exchanged glances. The black haired man cautiously laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you come with us, like Zack offered? You don't have a job right?" Ari shifted her distant eyes over, watching the older man carefully. Her eyes told him so much; starting from be careful to I want to trust you. He nodded in confirmation. "With your skills as a fighter, you'll do fine. I wonder if they'll let you be in SOLDIER."

She cocked her head slightly as she got her final clue. This was another dimension, whether created by Kore or if it always had existed, but it was in fact Gaia and she now lived the Final Fantasy life. By Angeal and Genesis still being with Shinra, it was obvious that life right now was before Crisis Core. How long before, she had no idea.

A hesitant nod was their answer and the three began off. Zack lost his attention with Genesis and catching on, the red head turned to watch with a venomous glare. The younger recruit followed suit of his other two betters while the steaming third sulked behind.

Their journey was quiet aside from small talk here and there. Ari kept her pace behind Sephiroth and Angeal, more so to keep distance from the silver haired killer. At this point in time she knew he was no threat but more so her knowledge of what he was to be is how she remembered him most. The rambunctious recruit walked to her side most of the way stealing side glances here and there.

With each passing minute Ari felt more and more out of place. She knew too much of this place, who these people were, and what was to happen. Granted she didn't know what exact dates they would happen but she prayed that they wouldn't happen soon. Maybe...just maybe she could change things for the better.

Problem was that manipulating the future was almost playing God. She certainly couldn't be at such a level. Not only that but trying to change what could happen without them figuring out who she was and where she came from.

Her eyes grew dark in thought and this didn't go by unnoticed by the flirt.

"Heeeey, Ari right?" Those vivid icy eyes shifted to her right. "You know, it would only be courteous of you to repay me for waking you up, right?" Ari's gaze grew a little less dark as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't I take you out on a date? Not only to pay me back but to ease all that tension there." He gave her his signature smirk. She let out a soft snort shaking her head.

"You aren't my type."

"Huh?" A soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I'm not one for over confidence." He blinked a couple of times before recovering.

"So you don't like confidence huh? How are ya going to be with a strong guy if he aint confident?" Another snort.

"I didn't say that. I said I don't like _too_ much confidence."

"I'm not! I'm just the right amount!" She shook her head and rolled those blue orbs.

"Your gait tells me everything." With that Zack dropped it pouting all the way back to Shinra.


	2. Chapter 2

Shinra was just as big as she had imagined it. The building was actually almost intimidating. Though when they stepped through the doors, Ari relaxed. It was still dark inside, but the warmth was there.

The five of them headed off down halls and stairs and taking a few elevators. It was funny to watch all the employees bow to the SOLDIERS and looked at her questioningly. Sephiroth and Angeal would just dismiss them. Genesis would just glare here and there at her. Ari simply ignored him much to his displeasure.

Flight after flight all the way up to the top. She thought it would never end until some unusually decorated doors came into view. Zack was dismissed, much to his annoyance. Sephiroth knocked and before any answer, the four of us went into the office.

An older man in a deep red suit sat hunched over at his desk signing away at some papers. The man lifted his gaze to them, his grizzly features seeming to form a growl on his face. That growl grew deeper when his eyes landed on Ari.

"Sephiroth."

"Sir."

"What is this?"

"President, she was the one found out in the desert at the disruption. We believe that she would prove useful with the company."

"Do not include me in this." Angeal sent a glare to the young SOLDIER behind all of them. Ari locked gazes with the President unwavering and definitely unafraid. The older man stood from his chair, keeping his stare with the new blue haired woman, and walked around to get a better view.

They were nearly eye to eye, the President only being a few inches taller. Her gaze was steady and unwavering. The way he was looking her over made Ari slightly uncomfortable.

"A pretty face? You would be good on missions to infiltrate lords of other towns." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter?" Unimpressed with his attitude she grabbed him by the collar to lift him a couple of feet off the ground. His grunts were music to her ears as he dangled in her hand helplessly.

"I'm not a whore. I will not throw myself around like that." In a choked voice he managed to get out,

"How are you this strong? You're a monster!" She snorted and put him back down.

"That's like saying your SOLDIERS are monsters too. I'm experimented as well, if that will answer your question better." President Shinra readjusted his tie and shirt to look her over.

"You've had mako experiments?" She shook her head.

"No, but it does seem similar." He stood there thinking while glaring at her for some time before he strolled back to his desk. Shinra sat back down and rested his chin on the top of his hands.

"And why should I let you into my SOLDIER program? Women haven't been strong enough to get in." Ari mulled over her options and made sure that she didn't give away too much of her past.

"My guess is that all of your SOLDIERS have some sort experimentation on them. I too am one...and the strongest of them. I was meant to be his greatest weapon, but I didn't necessarily agree with his plans." Shinra watched her closely before one last question.

"What exactly was this man's plan?" She remained quiet for some time, glaring at the president warning him that he was beginning to tread dark waters. If she wanted to get anywhere here, Ari realized that she had to partially appease him.

"Petty revenge. He allowed his past to consume him." Silence again as the clocked loudly ticked by. Finally he turned back to his papers grabbing a pen and continued signing away.

"Very well. We'll test your capabilities later. Now, out of my office." The four turned and left, not saying a word. Zack waited down a few flights, greeting them excitedly. His energy increased ten fold when he found that Ari would be tested into SOLDIER later.

She sighed at his over excitement. What in the world was he so joyful for? He didn't know her, in fact they had only met just perhaps an hour ago at the most. Sephiroth dismissed the young SOLDIER and himself as he had other duties to attend to. Genesis had no problems following suit. Angeal was the only kind soul to show Ari where her room would be.

After stopping in with Lazard, the black haired SOLDIER led her down numerous halls and stairs to get to her room. She shook her head in frustration to the huge size of this company. Angeal turned his head to her showing a small smile.

If anything right now, she would admit that he was rather attractive. Black hair and blue eyes shining like sapphires...Ari cracked a quick smile back at him. Now was not the time to be going all googly eyed over a video game character plus if it were to be anyone, she would prefer Sephiroth.

 _Get it together woman. You're looking for a way out of this...you can't be making a future out of this..._

Going down a couple of floors, Ari finally met with her room, nicely furnished for a single flat. Another smile to the 1st class SOLDIER and a thank you before he thumped away, his heavy boots resounding down the halls.

Shaking her head Ari turned to examine the small flat. Despite its smaller size, the place felt open and roomy. The bed was definitely a queen and fluffy as she flopped onto the mattress. Gazing over to the side, her mind wandered aimlessly recounting the day. Sleep came quickly and dozed off into a light slumber.

After a few hours a knock came to her door quickly followed by a young pup peeking his head around the corner. Ari's eyes fluttered open and gazed to the young black haired male looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, were you asleep?" The bed creaked as she readjusted herself into a sitting position, tiredly glaring at the boy.

"Surprisingly, yes. What brings you around?" Zack gave a quick apologetic grin before fully entering her room.

"Sorry, but supper is ready in the dining hall. I'll show you the way." Ari nodded and left the comfort of her bed.

She kept in stride with the taller man, hardly speaking to him. Ari caught him taking quick glances at her, probably in curiosity. It didn't bug her that much until his glancing took longer and longer shots. The young blue haired fighter threw a dark glance to him which caught his eye. Taking the hint, he left her alone.

Zack pushed open the dining hall to reveal a bunch of SOLDIER's walking around and a cacophony of chatter slamming against her ears. It reminded her of being back in high school, weaving through the crowd and trying to go unnoticed. The two of them took their place in line and scuttled down the gallery.

As they shuffled down it was becoming more and more obvious how out of place she was. Not really referring to the fact she was the only female that wasn't a cook, but the fact that surrounding her were letters she couldn't read. Thankfully the inhabitants of this world spoke her tongue but reading was a whole other ball park.

Chosing the food was a bit of a challenge when Ari couldn't tell the name of each entree. She ended up going with grub that looked similar to mashed potatoes and gravy along with some type of meat. The smell was fine enough...something akin to pork.

Zack lead the way to a corner table which was occupied by some very familiar faces. Each of them nodded in acknowledgment except for a certain fiery red head. It came to her pleasure of sitting across from him as Zack took the seat next to Angeal.

Mild chatter shot between Angeal and Sephiroth, going over details of the next mission or some training that they had done earlier that day. Sephiroth of course was on top of his game while Angeal struggled to reach his level.

"Ari," her head shot towards Angeal, "why don't you tell us about yourself? Shinra and Lazard want you to accompany us on our next mission so that we can quickly assess your abilites." Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

 _Already playing with the big boys? One of them must have put in a good word for me._ Ari mulled over her thoughts before chuffing at the thought, turning back to her food.

"Not much to tell about myself. Perhaps its better to ask questions." Surprisingly the red head barked.

"What kind of training have you had?" She stopped mid rise to her mouth when Genesis asked her this question. This was definitely going to get interesting. Ari set down her fork and gazed at him carefully.

"None." Silence fell over the table. She rose her hand to silence the comeback that Genesis was about to blurt out. "Look, I know that sounds terrible. Trust me, I understand your confusion and probable rage..." she took a breath and locked Genesis into a glare, "but here's my rough story. You heard back in Shinra's office that I had an enemy. I'm not the only one. There are others, and against them, I had to learn how to fight. I'm unrefined but absurdly powerful. Given any kind of choice, I'd still be...average. Living at home with my parents and finishing off my schooling." For once there was a gentle wave across his face, one that seemed to understand.

"Then how old are you?" Her cyan eyes twitched over to Sephiroth, his mako gaze penetrating her soul. The way her heart thudded in her chest hurt. Why...why did she feel this? Terrified but attracted to him at the same time.

A smirk ran across her face, confusing all four men at the table. Ari giggled and shook her head going back to the unfinished meal.

"I'm eighteen." Zack deflated a little.

"Darn...you're still older than me..." She gave him a quick glare.

"How old did you think I was?" A sheepish grin crossed his face.

"Uh...like 15 or 16...ya know...my age?" She rolled her eyes.

"When exactly is your birthday?" She made eye contact with Angeal and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it with you guys and birthdays? Well...I was born August 1st, 1993." Ari sighed at the looks she received. "I'm not from around here...I told you that." Zack piped up.

"It's not that. The numbers don't add up..." This is where Ari realized her lack of knowledge would catch up. She never could understand their time line.

"But you are saying that you guys go by the same months? Interesting...then by your standards, how old am I?"

"Five years old." She laughed at that.

"Year 1998 huh? Interesting. It's 2011 where I'm from." She took a few more bites of her food before they continued idle conversation.

Any time they queried about her home she would just tell them that it was a conversation for another time. They heard enough for now and would answer more questions when she felt comfortable enough. Of course Zack had to quibble about how they were all buds already and she could say anything.

Needless to say, Zack learned a quick lesson about respecting her boundries.

~ / ~

After dinner and everyone had filed out Ari casually caught Angeal on his own. Her heart thudded in her chest. How would he take this? A grown woman coming to him for the building blocks of basics. His shimmering blue eyes got her to relax a little.

"Hey...Angeal...this is going to sound really weird to you and I hope you don't think of me any differently. But I need help." His head cocked a little and she shuffled embarrassed.

"What is it Ari? You know you can ask me anything." She sighed lightly releasing last bits of anxiety.

"Can you teach me to read?" His face couldn't have been funnier had it been under better circumstances.

"You don't know how to read?" Ari shuffled again.

"I can read the numbers just fine. Your guys's letters look like gibberish to me. It reminds me of fancy text for graphic design back home." There was a mix of confusion and understanding written all over him. "I'll show you my alphabet and you can translate them for me. Dinner was terrible because I couldn't read what was being served to me...I just went based upon smell and sight."

He nodded and told her that they would go ahead and start tonight. The two of them headed back to her room and began the lesson. While writing out the alphabet, Angeal laughed and teased Ari about how her letter looked funny to him. She smiled at him and noticed how young he looked. Curiosity picked at her.

"By the way...how old are you guys as well?" Angeal chuckled.

"Why, interested in the General?" Catching onto his teasing she followed suit.

"Oh yes, completely. With such a pretty face, how could anyone say no?" They both belly laughed to that and when they finally settled Angeal continued.

"Sephiroth, Genesis, and I are all eighteen as well. Zack is a bit younger at fourteen." She shot her head over to him.

"Fourteen?! Shouldn't he still be in school?!" Her concerned face amused Angeal.

"I think we work differently than you on that. Many young men come here at a sensitive age to be trained." She snorted.

"I guess that how we were decades ago too..." They focused for the rest of the night and Ari thank Angeal for understanding but also asking him not to tell the others. He nodded and let her be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the awaited update. I was on vacation and had started the next chapter on my little Proscan tablet that my husband stepped on while on vacay which cracked the screen. And then when we got home I tried turning the dang thing on and it's busted. So I had to rewrite the chapter, or at least the beginning of it. Thanks for all the continued support and wonderful reviews!**

Morning came quickly and the groggy soon-to-be SOLDIER didn't want to rise. Ari managed to sleep well for her first night in a foreign environment. Grudgingly she pulled herself up and out. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and surprised herself with wild hair that looked like it was going to be fun to fix. Into the bathroom she went through her normal routine of shower and managing her face.

The conditioner from the shower helped with her rats nest hair but still hurt like hell getting the knots and tangles out. She finalized the morning with brushing her teeth then headed out as a knock came to her door.

Angeal greeted her with a warm smile before they headed off to the debriefing room. The glow of soft blue could be seen through the door and as the door swished open, Ari and Angeal were greeted with Sephiroth and Lazard already waiting for them.

Her test would be here already to see what she could be capable of for SOLDIER as Lazard explained about some distant mountain village that had sent several requests for help.

"So this requires two of your top warriors?" Lazard shook his head.

"No, Sephiroth and Angeal will come along to assess your abilities." Ari said nothing else as she chided in her head about the situation.

They were dismissed and headed up to the roof. Huge metal doors creaked as Sephiroth pushed through. The copter looked exactly like it did in Advent Children and the propellars slowly twirled. The high pitched humming was starting signaling that the copter was readying for flight. Waves of wind pushed against her and Tseng awaited them by the air vehicle.

Tseng and Sephiroth exchanged words before the black haired Turk took off into the building. One by one, they boarded the helicopter and took their seats. Ari sat closest to the cock pit while Angeal and Sephiroth took the seats across from her. It was quiet until a red head popped out from the pit.

"Well hello ladies and gents! I'm Reno and I'll be yall's pilot! If ya need anything, jus' let me know!" He winked at Ari before returning to his seat up from. The befuddled look on her face earned a chuckle from the men accompanying her on the mission. Ari glared before gazing out the side and watched as the ground shrunk below them.

It was the only way for her to pass time, watching the landscape below her. Reminded her of home and traveling to go see family out of state. The thought made her heart sink. Who knows when she could see her mother's face again...

Mother...

Without turning her head, Ari gazed over to Sephiroth. She knew exactly who he was...or at least who was going to become. Without missing a beat he gazed over to her to which Ari returned her eyes to the ground.

 _What am I going to do? I have no idea how to get back home...but there has to be a way back from the source...I wonder if Natalie and Kaylie are working to get me back? Kore has to have a way to get people back..._

"Ari." Her head twitched over. Sephiroth glued her in his gaze. "This village we're going to keeps saying about monsters attacking randomly. We will land outside the village and keep watch until a monster comes out." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really, just sit there an wait? I can understand the tactic, but in this instance shouldn't we gather intel from the villagers?" He shook his head.

"This time no." Her eyebrows knitted together processing what he just said.

"Are you thinking someone is behind the attacks?" Both men nodded.

"The instances are specific and keep attacking the same families." So revenge...or hate. Whichever. She nodded in acknowledgment and the copter began descending.

Her limbs stretched high into the air as Ari climbed out of the vehicle. She had only flown a couple of times but never in a helicopter let alone a military one. Ahead of the boys, she went over to the closest cliffside and gazed over a gorgeous view.

Below was the village surrounded by dense forest and a lake only a few minutes from the quaint town. The water glimmered gorgeously in the midday sun. She took in a breath and caught all kinds of wonderful smells. Dark pine, fresh grass and mostly that water. This area was healthy and full of life. Angeal came up next to her and took in the scene.

"It's beautiful." He nodded in agreement. "So now we just sit here and wait, right?" Sephiroth chimed in from behind agreeing with her statement. Ari gazed about for a bit before taking watch over the town.

\ \ \

It was kinda fun watching these people. Despite being so high up, she could see each individual person. Sunset was approaching and the people below were hustling to finish everything. There were a few houses that Ari could tell belonged to some of the richer folks of the town but really none of them stood out as absurdly poor. Things were calm until Ari noticed slight movement about twenty feet behind the village.

"Huh?" Immediately the boys turned away from their conversation and came to her side. "Over there, behind the village. It looks like someone has a secret door?" She pointed over and the boys 'huh'd as well. She narrowed her eyes to focus in on the scene. A middle aged man, followed by a woman, emerged from a trap door. The woman carried glowing orbs.

"There's a man and a woman. Perhaps a couple? Anyway, she's carrying glowing orbs...they're talking about something..." She relayed what she was seeing. "Now she's handing him a...what is he doing? He absorbed it?" Sephiroth chuffed.

"He's summoning." That's right. Kadaj did that to summon Bahamut SIN in the movie. The whole situation was becoming surreal for the cyan haired girl. The materia absorbed blasted off to the side. Runes glowed and slowly out emerged a monster.

"Holy crap...that things huge. Its gonna destroy the town if we don't hurry." She turned to Sephiroth waiting for a response. He nodded and she thrust forward from the cliffside. Ari heard the boys shortly after and after a couple more jumps she landed not to far from the town.

The beast closed in on the town quickly, and Ari didn't think twice. Screams of terror echoed as she heard people yelling various "not again" statements. Evading oncoming traffic, Ari deftly dodged through, running as fast as she could. She noticed the beast had raised its claws readying for its first strike.

 _Nope! Not today!_ With ease and grace, she leaped into the sky and drew her blade. The steel clashed against the beasts scaly hands creating sparks. It howled angrily and used its other hand to swing at her. She maneuvered around feeling the swoosh of wind from the missed attack. Landing atop its hand she glared up and it glared down.

The beast looked like a mix of canine and dragon, body like a dog and scales to match the dragon. Growling the beast began to build fire in its mouth. Moving once more, Ari took her blade and shoved it down the muzzle. Red hues died and the beast swung violently trying to shake off the warrior and her blade.

Ari grabbed her sword and violently ripped it out and landed away from the angry beast and away from the town. It's red eyes followed her and howled. Without missing a step, she turned and ran, keeping the beast in tow. It was easy, until another circle rune popped into the sky. Making a sharp turnaround, Ari jumped straight at the beast and sliced through its neck, mercilessly killing it.

Blood sprayed and pooled around her. She stuck her tongue out in disgust but turned to the sky. Another clawed hand came through the portal and then horns. Her stomach dropped as the next beast emerged. She hurried back to the village and found the boys watching as well.

"The first one is dead. What are they summoning now." Angeal scowled.

"Bahamut." Acting in confusion, she turned to the sky and watched. She shook her head.

"Do you suppose that this is happening because those two knew we'd be coming or is it coincidence that we're here to protect the village from a serious attack today?" Sephiroth shook his head this time.

"Either way, we needed to be here." The beast fully emerged, screamed and dove to the village. Ari heard a whimper and turned around finding a child watching the scene out in the open. She hurried over to the little girl and knelt down.

"Sweetie, what are you doing? Go home!" She whimpered more and began to cry.

"Mommy and daddy are gone!"

"ARI!" She grabbed the child and shoved the two of them out of the way. Bahamuts fore foot missed her, slamming the ground with devastating force. The windows shattered on each house from the aftershocks of the landing. Gaining her balance again, Ari glared up at the monster and turned to the boys.

"I'm gonna get her to a safe place before -" said child shrieked in terror.

"No! Don't leave me! Those bad people are going to come and get me!" Sephiroth came over leaving Angeal to fend off Bahamut for a moment. Ari turned to the silver haired man.

"What should I do? I could try to leave her with a neighbor?" He was about to say something when a young woman screamed from her window.

"SOLDIER! Leave Tanya over here!" Ari looked to the little girl.

"Is she okay to leave you with?" She nodded.

"Amaya is nice..." Sephiroth returned to his friends side and snuck around Bahamut to the small house. The door opened with Amaya ushering in Tanya. Tanya took one last glance at Ari and it almost broke her heart. Those eyes...broken and terrified. Ari nodded to Amaya and returned to the battlefield.

She turned in time to watch Bahamut backhand her two companions and both slamming into the ground with a loud crash. It took its spare hand and began to slam it down onto Sephiroth. Everything happened so quickly...

\ \ \

All he could hear was a high pitch ring and sudden stillness. The silver haired SOLDIER groaned and rose up on his elbows. Dust began to clear and cyan invaded his vision. Before him was Ari with her blade risen against Bahamut's palm. Blood began to drip and stained her bright colors. A growl escaped her lips as she pushed back against the monster. Letting out a small scream she shoved its hand away slicing it wide open and the monster howling in utter pain.

She turned to him, a large gash across her face. What surprised him was watching the wound heal in a matter of seconds. Her hand extended out to him and he took it; she helped him back to his feet and proceeded over to Angeal. With all three back up, Ari turned back to the monster, who was getting back up on its feet, and clenched her fists. She was going to kill this beast herself.

Calmly she took the lead, Sephiroth and Angeal followed close by. She held out a hand to stop them.

"Ari, you can't handle Bahamut on your own." Her cyan eyes glared over to Angeal.

"Just watch me." Bahamut's roar signaled the fight. She bolted off, blade in tow and listening to her heart beat.

 _Thu-thud. Thu-thud. Thu-thud._ It's beautiful beat stayed calm and steady despite her exertion. The world around her became clear and Bahamut's details shone through. Those bright eyes, born of the Lifestream, and the exquisite detailing of its natural armor.

Jump. Jump. She glided through the air reaching higher more vulnerable places on her target.

Chink. Chink. Her blade gouged out skin and armor.

Dodge. Bahamut was not happy with her. Screaming in anger and swinging violently.

 _Now._ Exhaling a calming breath, she narrowed her focus and Ari bolted off to higher speeds. The fury of her blade surprised Sephiroth and Angeal as they took a glance to one another before resuming to the battle. Ari was here, then there in a matter of milliseconds. What exactly was she?

"This may be a bad time to say this...but I think she would be a great asset to the company."

 _Or one of its greatest threats._ Sephiroth kept the thought to himself. Angeal may be right but they have to keep her on their side.

Suddenly she landed before them, blade extended and crouched. Panting could be heard and surprisingly it was not coming from the new girl. Sephiroth gazed up to see Bahamut struggling to stay standing. There was a flash and both men saw Ari on the other side of the summon blood across her blade. Both turned to the monster and slowly the beasts head slid down and fell to the ground. Head and body fell to the ground shaking the earth but seconds later, everything was calm once more.

Sephiroth turned to the girl who approached them calm and collected. Despite her good act he could see that she had used up quite a bit of energy and was hiding exhaustion. She cocked her head up at him, curious at his expression. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That was reckless. Taking down a high level summon like that on your own." She chuckeld at him.

"Awww, you actually do care!" Ari brushed his hand away and turned to the villagers gathering around them. Angeal chuckled at Sephiroth and stood next to Ari. The silver haired man turned with his companions and watched as all the scared towns people gathered around them in both fear and awe. Tanya bolted through the crowd and hugged Ari's waist, face buried in her stomach. Taken aback for a moment, she stood there unsure what to do. Slowly her hands came down and hugged the little girl back. Little sobs muffled through clothing caught Ari's attention.

"Are you sad for your mom and dad?" She stroked the little girl's back. Tanya nodded and cried harder. "Shhhh...it's okay sweetheart." In one swoop Ari picked the crying child up and held her close. She let Tanya cry and sob, and after a few minutes her crying slowed to hiccups. Ari felt Sephiroth's gaze on her to which she gazed back up to the General. His stoic gaze warranted him an eyebrow quirk, daring him to say something. He turned away and examined the crown. She did the same and saw the two culprits in the back.

"Sephiroth..." He nodded, obviously he saw them too. His presence made the crowd split as he came forward. The last rays of sun glowed beautifully on Sephiroth's hair and Ari became transfixed.

"You do have a thing for him don't you?" She turned over to Angeal.

"No, I just noticed how his hair reflected the sunset. I thought it was beautiful was all...I can't afford to build any kind of future here..." She turned away from him and away from Sephiroth. Angeal frowned at her last statement.

Sephiroth returned with the couple and shoved them to the ground. They looked up to the three with terrified expressions.

"What's the meaning of this!?" The man's face was an odd mix of fear and anger. Ari cocked her eyebrow.

"You two are the ones who summoned the monsters today. And I'm going on a pretty strong hunch that you've been doing this for some time too. Enough to have your village leader send out S.O.S's to ShinRa." Tanya turned around and look down.

"Ari...them..." She turned her face to the little girl. Ari's heart broke, this little girl she had already bonded with, was broken. Tany's face held no expression...just an aura of loneliness. She nodded and glared down at the two.

"And it seems you've killed Tanya's parents as well." The man shook his head.

"We did no such thing!" Ari turned to the townspeople.

"Someone show my comrade their house so he may search for any evidence!" Amaya came forward and lead Angeal off to a decent little home. Everyone began to chat amongst themselves and Ari gazed off into the distance.

"You can't keep her." Ari blinked a few times before refocusing on slit mako eyes. Tanya's dark brown eyes locked with his.

"But...I don' wanna loose her..." Ari placed a hand on the side of the little girls head and stroked her hair.

"Shhh...don't listen to the mean ol' General." Sephiroth twitched at the name. She shot off a glare to him when Angeal arrived with a box of summoning materia.

"This was found in their bedroom along with some maps of the town with 'X's over houses." Sephiroth cuffed both people and brought them back to their feet. Amaya came over to Ari. Ari gazed away sadly.

"Thank you...for everything." Ari shook her head.

"Don't thank me. I'm not a miracle worker." While Angeal lead the prisoners away to the copter Sephiroth came over.

"Ari..." The blue haired woman began to let Tanya down to which the girl began to shriek in terror. She bent down and gazed at Tanya right in the eye, sad as well.

"Sweetie...I can't let you come with me. ShinRa is dangerous for you...and I can't promise I'll be able to protect you at all times..." Tears streamed down her beautiful dark skin.

"But...I'm not safe here either...you came to protect us! Why can't I come! Why is it so dangerous!?" Ari's gloved hand began to stroke her long kinky hair.

"Because...there are people there that have no morals and will do things to you. I want you to be as safe as possible..." Tanya looked hard at Ari and saw how sad she was as well. The little girl hugged her savior and squeezed as tight as her little arms could do. Ari returned the gesture, wishing never to part with this little girl. When they separated, she smiled at Tanya.

"Tell ya what, I'll write to you okay? We'll be pen pals! Don't forget to tell me how you're growing, okay?" A smile ghosted on Tanya's little face as she nodded.

Ari got up and began towards the heli. Sephiroth stood there and watched her sulk off. Tanya gazed up to the man and pulled on his trench coat. He turned back to her curious at the little girl.

"Take care of her please? She's sad and lost...like me." Unsure of how to answer her, he nodded and began back to the copter.

\ \ \

Everyone was quiet loading up the copter. Ari's body began to ache, not from physical exhaustion but emotional baggage. Once again she failed to protect everyone. Memories of home invaded her mind making it harder to concentrate.

Finally, everything was loaded and the three took their seats. She kept her eyes outside watching the mountains fade away back to open plains. Her mind wandered back to Tanya. How lost that little girl must be right now.

"Ari." Cyan orbs glided over to make green ones. "There was nothing you could do." Her eyebrows knitted together.

"Is that your way of comforting someone? Cause it's terrible."

"I'm not trying to comfort you. I'm trying to make you realize what was and wasn't possible." Her blood began to boil.

" _Excuse_ you?" She began a defensive stance with him. He raised his head slightly trying to exert his dominance. He really wanted to push her buttons. Her voice became dark. "You want to _try_ that again, _General_?" Just because he was something special doesn't mean she'll let him push her over.

"Watch your tone, _SOLDIER_." She grit and bared her teeth at him. Standing up, she stared him down.

"Watch _yours_ Sephiroth." He stood while she was threatening him. Sparks flew as he entered her personal space, his body nearly touching hers.

"Stand down." She chuffed at him.

"What? Is big bad Sephiroth afraid of a little girl? Can't handle one person?" Angeal stood but Sephiroth raised a hand to him. The poor man sat back down.

"You need to calm down SOLDIER." She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back.

"For one, you don't ever tell a woman to calm down! Second of all, you've never suffered loss! Do you have the blood of innocents on your hands!?" He raised his head in curiosity.

"Oh, you've killed innocents have you?"

"NO! They're blood is on my hands because I wasn't there in time to save them! Tanya's parents should still be alive right now! Had you let us gone to the damn village earlier they would be alive and she would have her livelihood still! Now their blood is on my hands because I couldn't do a damn thing!" He shook his head.

"It still was out of your hands and nothing you could do."

"YOU GODDAMN HEARTLESS BASTARD!" She shoved past him and stormed to the back of the copter. In her corner she let the tears stream down as the memories of those fallen in her hands thank her for being with them in their last moments.

"Dammit..." Ari hung her head in shame as the memories bombarded her for the remainder of the trip.


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back my lovlies! Forgive me for the slow update. My husband has agreed to be my beta reader and he likes to take his time XD. I had to edit this chapter a couple of times and hopefully you guys enjoy it! To my guest reader: Yes Ari was mean and hard. But...you'll see development here! Enjoy!**

The moon was high in the sky by the time they got back. Turks surrounded the copter and Ari just walked off. She pushed past all the bodies. Anger boiled in her blood mixed with echoes of screams and the eyes of ghosts haunted her every step.

Dark halls greeted her as she began a light jog to get back to her room. What Turks were still up watched in shock as the young woman rushed past them. It was a relief when her door came into view. The knob was cool as she turned it open and greeted with a rush of cool air. Ari locked the door and slid down to the floor.

Snow swirled about her and amidst the white flecks emerged a blue wolf. Her similar cyan eyes gazed sadly upon her mother as the girl began to sob uncontrollably in agony. The blue winged wolf came forward and took the young woman into an embrace, her white fluffy wings coming around into a dome to secure the setting.

"Shh, Ali, it'll be okay." Ari's sobs became heavier as her body and shoulder shook in pain. The wolf held the girl for a good ten minutes before the crying subsided.

"Sn-Snowfleet...I'm so hurt and lost..." Hiccups interrupted her words and muffled into her companion's fur. Snowfleet nodded.

"I know Ali. We are bonded, remember?" Ari wiped her wet eyes with the back of her cloak sleeve and nodded.

"Why haven't you been talking to me?" Ari questioned her wolf to which the companion shook her head.

"I have. You've been so emotional that you've been blocking me out. I've even screamed at you but it seems your brain didn't want to hear me..." Ari turned away in shame.

"So then what are we going to do Snow?" The blue haired woman watched as Snowfleet shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure. There's no obvious way to get back home. It's not like there's a portal available at our disposal." Ari turned her gaze to the floor. "Though my biggest question Ali..." The young woman gazed back up at her wolf companion.

"What?" They locked eyes.

"When are you going to tell them who you are? Are you going to keep letting believe your name is Ari? You gave that name up after the war." Ari shook her head.

"The war started again..." Snowfleet hung her head and sighed.

"So you're going to hide again?" Ari glared at Snowfleet.

"I never hid! I took up my title didn't I?" Snowfleet growled slightly.

"You only took up 'Queen' because the rebels needed encouragement! You would've never became Queen of the Ultimates had it been up to you!" Ari sighed and hung in defeat. "I'm only saying this because I love you. I know this is hard, but you can't give up. Don't hide anymore...don't shelter yourself..." Snowfleet stood up and turned from the sulking girl. "Sephiroth was right. There was nothing you could have done...you should apologize to him." The wolf sauntered over to the corner and laid down.

Eventually sleep called and the young woman crawled into bed.

\ \ \

Morning came too quickly for the woman. She groaned unhappily and rolled about, flinching when some little round object shoved into her back. Ari managed a hand into a back pocket of her cloak, not bothering to remove it the night before. The little device was just a steel orb with one little hole. She shook the contraption hearing and feeling nothing. Snowfleet trotted over and sniffed it.

"It still has Kore's scent. Faint, but definitely his." Ari shook her head in confusion and placed it back in her cloak. Perhaps it will come in handy one of these days. Rising from bed, Ari took off to the bathroom and began her morning routine.

She turned the water on and measured the heat, after some tinkering, the girl managed to get it to where she wanted it. Absentmindedly she undressed and gazed at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Dark circles threatened along her eyes and an aura of tiredness gazed back at her. It was funny, watching herself make faces to see if she could get rid of that look surrounding herself. Though, despite her humorous attempts, exhaustion clung to her face.

Ari shook her head and turned back to get into the shower. Something that caught her attention was her underwear. It was mildly discolored and with a closer look she realized what had happened.

"Oh...well...shopping it is later..." she grabbed her underwear and took it into the shower. The water running down her back felt amazing and eased some tense muscles. She washed off the sweat and dirt of the day before and took soap to her undergarments.

Red washed out slowly as her mind began to wander. Yesterday Angeal made a pass at her for liking Sephiroth. She realized just then he was joking with her...after all she had been staring at the man. Let alone Ari answered honestly to her new comrade not even realizing he was just trying to mess with her.

"Snow..." Clicking echoed in the room as Snowfleet entered the vicinity. Her bright blue muzzle pushed past the curtains as she gazed up at her with those beautiful wolf eyes.

"Yes?" Ari never did look down to her wolf companion. Her mind wandered as she gazed off into the distance.

"You were right." Snowfleet moved her head in disagreement.

"Has nothing to do with being right. I know everything you thought, you've felt, all of it since we've been here. You can't focus and perhaps this was supposed to happen." Ari finally gazed down to Snowfleet. She knelt down and hugged as much of the wolf as she could. Tears fell as sobs softly echoed.

"Thank you...Snow..." Snowfleet nuzzled back and ushered Ari to finish her shower. The girl stood up and finished as quickly as she could. As she was dressing in her bedroom, a knock echoed through the room. Zipping up her cloak she answered the door, finding Angeal once more.

"Hey, Lazard has summoned us to the debriefing room." She nodded and silently followed behind. Awkward silence shrouded the two. Obviously her outburst from yesterday clung heavily to the SOLDIER.

"Angeal..." He turned to her calm as could be. "I'm not angry at you. What Sephiroth said to me yesterday didn't rub me right. I need to talk to him today...alone." Angeal nodded and continued forward. "Also..." His head twitched back quickly intrigued with what she had to say.

"I realize that yesterday you were joking with me about liking Sephiroth. I answered a little too honestly with it. For me, you guys are...I dunno? Friends?" He chuckled.

"You had a lot on your mind. But why can't you make a life here?" She sighed audibly. Her mother, dad, brother, sister-in-law, and soon-to-be niece came into thought.

"Because I'd love to go back to my family...I'm sure my mother is worried." He stopped and Ari gazed back at him questioningly. His hand rose and gently landed on her shoulder. The look in his eyes made her stomach drop.

"You don't know how to...or you can't...can you?" Her head dropped in defeat and whispered "no". It was all he needed and they continued on.

The doors came into view and the familiar glow of blue frosted through. A familiar "swoosh" sounded as the two entered through the door with Lazard holding his head up boredly with his two hands propped. Sephiroth stood not far off from the desk against the wall. Ari took the spot closest to the door, avoiding a certain someone's gaze. Angeal took to the other side of Sephiroth and Lazard sat up.

"Well, now that we're all here, I'd like to congratulate you Ari." She locked eyes with Lazard who had a glimmer of interest in his eyes. Her eyebrow quirked with faked interest.

"Oh?" He nodded.

"From what Sephiroth has told me, you far exceeded any expectations of SOLDIER. After consulting with the President himself, we have agreed that you would be best as 1st class SOLDIER." Her heart dropped.

 _First...class? What is he playing at? Especially with how I treated him...Snow?_ From within she could feel the wolf spirit stir.

 _I heard. Your heart is racing. Take a deep breath. They're watching you. Answer._ She let a humble smile across her face.

"Thank you...ShinRa wont be disappointed." She heard a scoff in his voice. Then he turned serious.

"But..." His sudden mood swing caught her off guard and immediately went on guard. "There is one thing that concerns us all. Your abilities, as great as they are, are not from here, from ShinRa. You were never part of any experiment from our scientists. How are you like this?" Screaming memories flooded as Lazard mentioned scientists and experiments. For one time Ari wished she could keep those memories away.

 _Tell them..._ With a sigh she locked Lazard into her cold hard stare.

"You're right. I'm not from here. I don't even know where 'here' is." The room grew quiet and still. Her voice usually calm and easy became dark and turbulent. "You don't have to believe me when I say this. But I think 'here' for me is another world or dimension. Choose as you please." Minutes pass as Ari and Lazard watched one another. He could see no lie in her words.

"Then...if that is so, what is your world like?" She cocked her head at him.

"What is it like?" He nodded assuring her to continue. Ari mulled over her thoughts. How could she explain another world? Her world... "You know...it's a lot like this one but really different too." A bittersweet smile crossed her face as she turned to the ceiling, eyes closed lost in memory.

"You guys are going through what we would call the industrial revolution. Everything is still really rough and heavily dependent on your new found energy. But..." the smile faded. "You guys are still far more advanced than we are." She shook her head. "My home is like this...take the Lifestream away. There is no mako, no materia, no nothing. We make our own energy or figure it out from the water, wind, or sun." The amazed looks were amusing.

"What about when someone dies?" Ari glanced over to Angeal, who seemed semi terrified. She didn't say anything for some time. Ari forgot that death here means someone dissipates back to the Lifestream.

"I would really like to leave that subject alone. Death is not something I want to think about right now." Disappointed the black haired man nodded and turned away from her. Sephiroth shifted and Ari turned her head to her superior.

"Then anyone from your home can come to this world?" The blue haired woman knitted her eyebrows together in thought.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I har – EH!?" She squirmed a bit before opening her cloak enough for the little ball to fly out, little blue fire burning out from the bottom. It turned to her and brought up a holographic screen. Static ensued until it stabilized into familiar faces.

"Natalie! Kaylie!" All of them screeched in joy. Sephiroth, Angeal and Lazard watched curiously. "You guys are alive!"

"Of course we are! Why wouldn't we be?" Ari growled lightly.

"Because that traitor back stabbed us. Last I saw was you guys being thrown to the ground unconscious!" The blonde and brunette turned to one another.

"How are you dealing with that?" Ari shook her head.

"Never mind that! Have you guys figured out anything on getting me back home?" Her obsession to get home mildly disturbed Sephiroth. Though the looks on her friends' faces weren't good.

"See...that's the thing...We were held captive for a couple of days and then managed to take over this lab." Kaylie stopped in the middle of her sentence and Ari's heart dropped. Natalie finished the sentence.

"Kaiman and Kore destroyed the machine that sent you away...we can't get you back."

 _No...no..._

"We're so sorry..." the transmission faded out and the ball dropped to the floor with a little clang.

The debriefing had this stifling tension as Ari stood there, gazing blankly ahead of her. Everything she held dear, all her friends, all her family...gone. There was an unsettling emptiness clouding her mind and soul. Snowfleet deep within gently nudged at her mother's consciousness to no response.

 _Ali...please...don't let yourself fall into this creeping darkness._ Quietly Ari answered her soul partner.

 _But...we're alone now..._ She felt Snowfleet shake her head.

 _No, look..._ Slowly regaining her reflexes, Ari turned her attention over to the men watching her. Angeal had begun walking towards her with this quiet sympathetic gaze. A hand held onto her upper arms and she gazed into gorgeous glowing blue eyes. Some small smile managed its way onto her face.

"Heh...I guess, Angeal, that I can make a future here." He returned her smile Ari could feel another nudge within her conscious. Ari nodded to her companion and gently removed Angeal's hands.

"Though, there is one more thing you need to know about me...my name is not Ari." Lazard cocked his head up in interest. "My actual name is Ali..." The blonde lightly chuckled.

"That name suits better with those I'm assuming are your friends. Tell us, what was the reason for deceiving us?" Ali matched her eyes with Lazard's.

"As a close friend of mine once said, I kept running and hiding. It was a cover-up name for me at one point in time." An intrigued smile stretched across his mug.

"You certainly are an interesting girl, Ali."

They were in there for an hour before Lazard dismissed the three. In the hall Ali felt her heart pound. She needed to find Sephiroth.

He was fast, already down a couple of corridors before she caught up to the silver haired man. The thudding in her chest hurt. Ali scolded herself, acting like a school girl with some measly crush. He was her comrade, nothing more, nothing less.

"Sephiroth!" His name felt so weird on her lips, using it in a way that she never thought she would. He was a familiar to her, not someone she would be terrified of. Sephiroth stopped and turned fully to her. His mako eyes...it made her stop and watch. Ali only hiccuped for a moment before recollecting herself.

"We need to talk...is there someplace private?" Sephiroth watched her for a moment quiet and stoic.

 _Snowfleet...I don't like this._ She heard her companion laugh.

 _It's just a crush, plus, I doubt he'd ever be interested in dating anyone. He's too focused on his work._ Those words alone made Ali feel better. He nodded and brushed past her back to where they started. They went several stories up and around a few corridors until the rooms started becoming spare. On their final floor there was no one besides them. Ali followed to a door with the number "49" on it.

 _No way! Training room 49! I get to see this room myself?!_ Keeping a calm demeanor she waited patiently for him to set up whatever. When they walked in, all the metal and wires were dark and bleak. He disappeared for a moment and suddenly the scenery changed.

 _Just like Crisis Core. Above the ocean on machinery._ Ali must've been gawking when he returned.

"You enjoy the view?" A deep blush crept on her face.

"Ah...yes. It's beautiful." He relaxed against a raised wall and crossed his arms, watching the girl before him. "Sephiroth..." She loved saying his name. He kept his gaze on her as the thoughts buzzed about in her head. "I need to apologize for yesterday..." his head rose in interest. "I lashed out at you unfairly. It wasn't your fault that what happened, happened."

"You've got guts." Her head twitched to watched him. Sephiroth surprised her with such a compliment. "No one has ever spoken to me like that. We need warriors like yourself, but...what exactly do you mean by having 'innocent blood' on your hands?" Another question like this. She tried avoiding it to the best of her abilities earlier, but now he's got her cornered.

Fear resonated in her eyes, and it was different than what he saw back on the helicopter. This woman before him, Sephiroth realized, was never trained to be a warrior. She had even said so that one time in the lunchroom. What got to him is why talking about it makes her irrational. That fear turned to sadness as her head drooped. The sunset in the background almost seemed out of place.

"Why do you guys pester me about this? Must you know?" Every word he could hear her agony.

"If you wish to regain my trust, then yes." She sighed a little agitated.

"Fine. About two years ago a quiet civil war started...three teenage girls were walking in a nearby abandoned forest when they stumbled upon a building. They watched from the bushes and saw something so out of their minds that no one would believe them. There were people near that building, turning into half animal and half human and being engulfed in flames, sprouting wings and running at speeds that wouldn't be possible for normal people..." she paused letting the memories flood back. "That was the day my friends and I discovered Kore..." Sephiroth listened closely, intrigued by her story.

"We ran. Terrified of what we just saw. But the inevitable was going to catch up to us. Slowly over the next few weeks we were hunted. Those at that building in the middle of the forest had seen us peeking..." Ali gritted her teeth. "Little did we know that that bastard had so many children...so many..." Sephiroth began to recognize this anger and stood straight as her emotions began to boil.

"He hunted them! For his damn experiments! We were all nothing but tools for him! He wanted to take revenge on - " Sephiroth entered her space and placed a hand on her shoulder. She locked eyes with him, unable to break the trance.

"Then this Kore is nothing but a coward." Her shoulders relaxed as her emotions began to settle. How could he do this? "Please, tell me your story." She nodded.

"Professor Ivan Kore...he was the mad scientist behind everything. When he injected the chemicals into me, he thought he could control me with my family. The pain...was so intense I thought I was going to die...many do...but I lived and the power that came with it? Nothing I had ever felt before. I was his strongest." The moments of transformation seared her mind. That pain radiated through her body and brought chills to her spine. Ali shook her head.

"When all three of us were turned Ultimate, we began a rebellion against Kore. Over the next year, a lot of kids came to us, wanting this nightmare to end. Eventually the public knew about it and it became easier to handle. Though the pain of having children die in your hands is terrible..." Her head hung and bit her lip from the tears threatening to fall. Blood streamed down her chin.

"I couldn't protect them Sephiroth! Everyone looked to me for guidance! I was dubbed their 'Queen', strongest of all Ultimates...and I was helpless." It was then Sephiroth began to understand her pain.

"Ali." She couldn't or really wouldn't look up to him. "You can't blame yourself. Your affections for Tanya make sense to me now. The children that died in your war, you blame yourself for. War is an ugly beast. It doesn't discriminate and it doesn't care." Ali dared a look to him, his eyes were gentle and understanding. "You are correct, I've never suffered loss like you. But I do understand war. I was raised to know and understand the art of it and carrying such guilt will take you no where." She shook her head at him.

"But I cannot forget those who died..."

"I never said that. By you defeating Kore, you didn't wast their sacrifice. You kept going and that is what keeps them alive, even after death." She stood there stunned; this man, the future killer, comforted her in one of her weaker moments.

"Thank you..." A sparse smile graced Sephiroth as he drew his sword. She cocked her head at the man who waited patiently for her.

"Draw your blade. We're going to spar." She laughed quietly.

"Sephiroth, I have no strength right now. Too much has happened." He nodded still with that smile.

"Exactly, this will keep your mind off things." She shook her head and drew her blade.

Their blades clashed over and over and over the time that the two sparred, Ali managed to relax her mind. Extending her body this way and that felt good and for once, she had a decent opponent. Sephiroth could keep her on her feet and make her think of her next move. A couple of times she actually smiled at him, feeling a sense of bonding kindle.

The more they dragged out their training, the more Ali imagined her life on Gaia. In all honesty, it wouldn't be that bad. She still had Snowfleet by her side and the little device from earlier gave her access back home. Granted the little contraption only worked from their end from what she could tell, but it was something and Ali begun to realize that she should be thankful.

Only being able to _see_ her friends and family though weighed heavily on her heart. Ali knew that she should be thankful to still see them, deep down she knew that it really wasn't enough. She knew what would be missed the most would be her mother's touch. Nothing in the world was strong enough to calm her down or knew what exactly to do.

After about an hour Ali just stood still gazing off to the side and Sephiroth came up next to her. Together they watched the water glisten under the setting sun and listened to the waves crash below. Even here, the water and sun looked the same.

"It's beautiful and just like home...Sephiroth?" His mako green eyes turned down to the little woman.

"I'm not going to eat lunch with you guys. I need to be alone for a bit." She was sad, he could tell.

"Very well. But be mindful of your body." His response drowned out a tad as she turned away and began to the door. The scenery faded as the two glided out, elegant and powerful.

Sephiroth's presence behind her felt overwhelming and it nearly stifled her. It was obvious that he picked up on the fact she was depressed. She couldn't help it though, everything she knew and loved was gone. Just like that; no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Ali managed it down the flights of stairs and past busy Turks. Her door was a welcoming sight. When she pressed through and locked her door, the fluff of her bed graced against her pale skin. The sheets were cool and comforting and they smelled fresh. Did someone come in and change her sheets?

She shifted slightly to remove the buildup in her arm that was making it fall asleep and noticed a piece of paper on her desk. Ice and snow drifted over to the desk and brought the piece of parchment back to her. The little piece landed neatly between her digits. It was from Angeal letting her know that a tailor would see her tomorrow to fit her for a uniform.

The young woman tossed it off to the side and scoffed. In all ways conceivable, she shouldn't be in this situation. She shouldn't be here laying on this godforsaken bed and dreaming of one day returning home. The thought in itself was ludicrous...yet there she lay.

"This is ridiculous. No way in hell I should be here mourning over the fact that I wont ever go home!" Ali mulled over the thought and tears welled up. "I wont go home..." Another ball of snow swirled about and out came the wolf who climbed up onto the bed and cuddled up to her human.

Ali wrapped an arm around her furry companion and cried softly until drifting into a light and fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovelies and welcome back! Got a decent chapter here, some interesting plot points. You'll probably notice a spike of quality more towards the end of the chapter because my husband inspired me for better writing. ONE THING, some of you have mentioned about Shinra and Hojo...well...wait for the next few chapters. You'll see.**

Life returned to semi normal as Ali regained emotional control over her loss. There was still an aching sadness resting in the pit of her soul, but with time she understood how to handle the emotion. Her daily tasks consisted of rigorous training with Sephiroth, mostly to fine tune her abilities, practice her reading in their language, and socializing with the top three SOLDIERS.

Angeal took to her the fastest. Their personalities matched better and she listened to his stories of his mother and old life. He fascinated her with being the most...normal out of the three. Ali enjoyed his soft hearted kindness and was awestruck when he became hard and strict.

Sephiroth was on an odd level with her, considering he was the most powerful of the three and...well was different. Their training together showed Ali a different side of him, the softer side that one got see sporadically through Crisis Core. For the time she kept her fangirl crush away and constantly remind herself that he's a partner, not a lover.

Genesis was the hardest to be around. Ali couldn't figure out why, but he seemed to keep her at a distance. He kept treating her almost like a threat or that Ali shouldn't be amongst them. No matter how much she tried, he would shrug her off and ignore any attempts of friendship.

Today was a late start as she slept in and casually showered. The room steamed up and when she stepped out it wasn't so cold. Ali grabbed the closest towel and began to dry off. She took the towel and wiped away the built up condensation on the mirror to reveal a tired face once more. Ali grimaced at the reflection and began through the drawers.

Over the last couple of weeks the receptionists brought her makeup and other girly things to welcome the first female into SOLDIER. It struck Ali as odd to see them being so kind to her, an outsider and not even remotely a friend. Not only that but the fact as a warrior, when would makeup ever find it's way onto the battle field? She found some mascara and with a tad more digging found some foundation. Squirting out just a tad bit of makeup she blotted the makeup under her eyes and on the lids. She dabbed the pale liquid upon her smooth skin erasing darkness and creeping red around her eyes giving Ali a freshened look.

Ali took another glance at the mascara. She gave it a few look overs and after some debate decided to blot on the black goop. One simple layer later, she felt better. Her mother had always said a little bit of mascara always makes one's eyes pop.

 _Mother..._ clicking echoed and blue eyes turned over to the wolf with clothing hanging from her maw. Ali smiled down at Snowfleet and took the clothing from her companion. The tailor that fitted her uniform was a tad awkward as it was a man and had her strip down for him to gain measurements. There were a few times she just about smacked him into the next century but restrained to keep her job. At the end of the day though, the man did a remarkable job giving her a uniform that she enjoyed.

The man had taken note of her favor to the bright blue and made a new cloak for her that matched the SOLDIER uniform and made pants that she felt comfortable in. Her bottoms copied the flare out bootcut jeans she loved wearing back home. The top and halters were still of typical first class uniform and she was okay with that. Ali did the last two clips of her cloak and continued back to her main room.

When she came back a vibration echoed off her desk, which she recognized as a text message. Flipping the phone open, she noted it was from Angeal letting her know to meet up in the debriefing room. She gazed over to Snowfleet who nodded and dispersed back into Ali. Locking her door, Ali headed off to the blue lit room.

Sephiroth and Lazard were already there and greeted her formally as she slid through the door. She returned the greeting and laid up against the wall waiting for the last two. Angeal came next and a few minutes later, Genesis joined in. Once he settled in, Lazard started up.

"Thank you for coming. Now, I've got a new rescue mission as intel has been gathered from the couple from the mountain." Ali's eyebrow twitched from the thought. "The two were working for another, giving intel on their own village in exchange for revenge. This individual they work for hides deep within the mountains and has been working on controlling the Lifestream to conquer the world." Ali cocked her head.

"I thought the Lifestream was in a way an entity on its own? How can someone control such a force?" Lazard nodded grimly.

"The Lifestream is an entity of it's own. Yet it's not. We us the Lifestream and the mako it creates to live, and so in a way, it is part of the planet. Many have argued we are stealing the planet's life. This is why we must stop this person." She frowned at the blonde.

"That doesn't answer my question, how can anyone control such a force? Especially if it's part of the planet as well? If you control the Planet, then you control life." The deep voice next to her almost startled Ali.

"It's possible this threat is trying to merge with the Lifestream itself." Hers and Sephiroth's eyes met and he seemed rather solemn.

"Is it possible...?" His shoulders shrugged lightly.

"Some of the scientists say it is." Her mouth formed into a gaping circle, giving them a sign of understanding.

"So all of us are going?" That shrugging look he gave her didn't settle well.

"In a way yes. Two of you are going into the mountain itself to find the culprit and the other two are going to keep an eye out. But I have specifics." All four SOLDIER's turned to Lazard in question, wondering what on Gaia was he thinking. "Angeal and Sephiroth, I want you two to keep watch. Genesis and Ali, you go into the -"

"No." Angeal, Sephiroth and Ali turned to the red head. "I'm not working with the girl." As much as she hated to admit it, Genesis's words hurt. She couldn't understand why he had such a grudge against her. The only thing she could think of was their first encounter where she embarrassed the living daylights out of him. Lazard glared.

"This is why I'm having you two work together. From the reports of two of your comrades, I understand that you two don't get along very well." Ali just turned to the floor and Genesis scoffed. For her, the situation was just getting worse and worse. She turned her head back up to Lazard.

"Well...let's get the last bit of details and we'll be on our way. We'll get things situated on the way up, alright?" Pleased with her answer, Lazard finished up detail reports and dismissed the four. A copter waited for them on the roof and the familiar fire head greeted them inside the pit. He sent another wink to Ali and she glowered at him to which he chuckled and went back to his little area.

No sooner than they were in the air did Genesis start arguing with Sephiroth. Ali sighed and rested her chin in her hand. This was going to be a long ride.

/ / /

It took Sephiroth a little while, but he managed to get Genesis to work with Ali. When he finally shut up Ali relaxed at watched out the side. A smile graced her lips as they passed the mountain village that Tanya lived at. She was excited to receive a letter back from the girl after she sent one last week.

 _She's an adorable little girl._ Ali nodded in agreement.

 _That she is. I'm glad we met her._ She felt chuckling deep down and continued mental talk with the wolf. Night descended quickly and within that time, the mountains came into view. Their copter floated down and landed gently amongst a small clearing in the forest. The cave they were going into was within their sight and so the team decided to set up camp for the evening.

Ali headed off to gather firewood and rocks to build a fire. When she gathered enough wood, Ali headed back and began working on their source of warmth. Angeal and Genesis set up the tent and Sephiroth came back with food. With the fire going strong, Ali took a few of the fish from Sephiroth and gutted them. The silver haired man watched her with interest. She made a double take when she caught him staring.

"...Am I doing something wrong?" He shook his head.

"No. Just slightly amazed at your knowledge of gutting fish." She scoffed at him.

"I used to watch a lot of survival shows back home."

"With your abilities?"

"When I was normal..." The way her voice dropped made Sephiroth stop and watch. Her head was low and eyes focused. There was this sad glint glittering in her eyes as she refused to look up.

"Ali." She hummed at him to answer his call. "It's okay." Her shoulders sank and sadness shrouded her face.

"You know..." Ali felt his eyes on her. "I had always dreamed that I'd finish school, meet a good man, get married, and have kids. I'd be happy...and those ideas changed when Kore came around. I had to defeat him and then I'd be happy. Married and kids were still an idea...but who would date someone like me? And especially now that I live here." His silver eyebrow twitched up in curiosity.

"What's wrong with finding someone here?" She blushed at his question and turned away.

"It's not that...I just have to find a man who can defeat me in battle..." The weight of his gaze weighed heavily on her and the blush only got darker. "Uhhh...forget I said anything, OK?" She feverishly worked on her fish again, spearing the poor creature and resting it over the fire to cook.

"Has no man been able to do that?" Her mind began to fret as she stumbled for words. Why did she have to go an bring up such a subject with him?

"No...I was made strongest so...no one can defeat me." She speared her other fish and placed it next to the first fish and began to turn them.

"What if anyone of us defeat you?" She snapped back at him.

"I said forget it okay?" Ali felt the heat on her ears which meant she was completely and utterly humiliated. Mortified would be more like it.

"Is there something wrong with us?" A hand swiped down her face in agitation.

"Genesis and I don't get along to start with. Angeal is more like an older brother to me and you...I wouldn't have ever thought you'd be interested in such a thought. So, no there is nothing wrong with any of you, just not eligible I guess." She heard a chuckle from him.

"What makes you think I wouldn't be interested in 'such a thought'." Ali dared a look over in his direction. He had relaxed and leaned back against the tree, his hands resting behind his head. The campfire laid a soft glow on his form and sent her into a tizzy. He was gorgeous and meeting him in person only made it all the more real.

 _Damn hormones..._ Snowfleet laughed at her.

"Uhh...you're the General?" That smirk sent a chill up her spine and a feeling sparked that she didn't like.

"Is that a statement or question?" Her cyan orbs glared at his smug face to which he laughed.

"Relax, relax. I'm just teasing. But just because I'm the General doesn't mean I'm not a man." Thoughts popped into her head and she turned back to her fish quickly with a blush.

Their dinner seared nicely and she took the other fish from Sephiroth. Genesis and Angeal finished setting up the tent and joined Ali and Sephiroth around the fire. Ali was tense as she listened to the boys talk about boy stuff, which at times became awkward being the only girl around. Though in this moment, she realized exactly how human these three were. Being as professional as they were, they still talked about girls, boobs, and other boy stuff...including their junk. Ali often forgot that these three were still only eighteen years old and raging with hormones.

"So what about you woman?" Ali turned her attention to Genesis.

"I'm sorry, I phased out. What is it?" A smug crossed his face.

"What, can't handle some man talk?" Her eyebrows curved up in sarcastic question.

"I kinda lack the tools to enjoy 'man talk'." Angeal and Sephiroth chuckled.

"Then you're missing out, it's so -" Ali stood up and stretched.

"Yeah yeah. It's great you have a dick right? But guess what," a mischievous glimmer shone in her eyes and pointed down to her nether regions, "as I long as I have this, I can get as many of those as I want." She pointed towards his nether regions and laughed at his blank expression. When she had her fill she walked off to a nearby lake.

At the waters edge, she knelt down and splashed water across her face. What did she just say? If this kept up, she'd be known as the whore of ShinRa.

"Ali, you're stupid...you need to watch what you say..." She chided herself for being reckless. Ali shook off the water and headed back into camp. The warm glow of fire flickered off the trees and bushes and when she returned, Genesis had ran off and Angeal was setting up beds in the tents.

Sephiroth tended to the fire and Ali gathered up the fish bones. Disposing of them she went back and settled into the tent. Sephiroth came in shortly after and both men stripped themselves of their shirts. Ali turned away and rifled through her backpack trying to find her sketchbook.

 _Oh my...this night has been nothing but..._ Snowfleet laughed at her.

 _You've walked into every single one of them. You **are** around a bunch of men._ Ali shook her head and opened her book past the first few pages. She began to relax as she felt the familiar grind of pencil to paper. Ali zoned in on her work unaware of the two men curiously glancing in her direction. Sephiroth leaned over and watched in fascination as she drew out Bahamut from their battle a couple of weeks earlier.

For the time being, she lost track of everything, immersing herself into the drawing. A scale here and some horns there. Shade under the arm and highlight on the teeth. Let's make the eyes glow and slowly the image came to life. Bahamut looked fierce trying to fight her off, that's what she remembered. Her blade scraping against it's tough exterior.

"You've got some talent." Ali jumped as Sephiroth's deep voice tickled against her ear. She sent a dark glare in his direction to which he gave a curious look.

"Thank you, but seriously. Personal space?" Both men laughed making her blush darker. The tent flapped open and Genesis plopped down.

"You're sleeping with three men. There is no personal space." The three laughed and Ali shrunk down her face completely red. She laid her sketchbook down to the side and laid down with her back to the three.

 _I'm going to bed..._ she felt concern.

 _Ali...are you okay? You gave out wise crackin' earlier and now you can't handle it?_ The blue haired woman shook her head.

 _No...no I can't._ It didn't help that the General laid next to her, then Genesis, then Angeal. A yawn escaped her lips and soon sleep caressed her conscious.

/ / /

Morning came quickly and she rose earlier than usual. As consciousness came back to her Ali noticed an odd warmth. Her eyes fluttered opened and laid dangerously close to Sephiroth. Grimacing she discretely backed away and calmed her breathing. It was then that she realized that getting out would be tricky.

Ali pushed the blankets out of the way and tiptoed around the General. He shifted, laying his arm across his eyes and settled back down leaving Ali with a rushing heart. Another couple of steps and she managed out of the tent. The sun hadn't quite rose but the tint of the atmosphere suggested it would be soon. With that, she set off and hunted for breakfast.

The young woman managed a couple of rabbits and a few squirrels, making quick work of them. She started up the fire and started their cooking. Looking at her hard work, Ali nodded in approval and went back to the tent. She knelt between Sephiroth and Genesis, trying her best not to focus on their bare chests.

"Hey, guys. Wake up, I've got breakfast going." They stirred but rolled back into sleep. A light growl escaped her lips as she shook them harder. Sephiroth finally opened his eyes and she nearly jumped at how he looked like he was on the hunt.

"Good, you're up." She shifted her focus on Genesis as she shook him more. Ali dodged a half assed swing when the red head objected waking up. Sephiroth propped up onto one elbow and watched her curiously. Her cyan eyes looked over to him. "Uhhh...hi?" His fingers touched her cheek and all her senses went on high alert.

"Since when do you wear makeup?" She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before realizing what he meant.

"Oh, I put some on yesterday. Must've smudged off during my sleep."

"That wasn't my question." Ali rolled her eyes and shook Genesis once more earning a growl from the red head.

"GENESIS." His eyes shot open and gazed at her with empty eyes. "Thank you, goodness. And I wear makeup when I want to. I'm not high maintenance, so I like dolling myself up once in a while." Ali moved over to Angeal who woke up easier than the other two. She left the men in the tents while they got up and ready.

Ali went back to the game and turned them slowly to get them cooked and tender. Watching the meat turn brought the young woman into a daze. For a few moments the silence lulled her into a calm and content mood. She began to hum, bobbing her head and tapping to the beat and eventually the words flowed out of her mouth.

"Somebody get me through this nightmare, I can't control myself..." She swung ever so slightly to the rhythm she had been singing to. "So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one will ever change this animal I have become..." Suddenly she felt eyes on her and she turned to see the boys watching her.

"Hey...breakfast is ready." Without another word all four sat down and began to feast. Ali finished first and hurried to pick up their supplies. Angeal caught up to her and helped with cleaning up the tent and blankets. Within half an hour the campsite was taken care of and the group headed over to the cave. Ali hurried into the cave and a grudging Genesis followed behind.

The air was tense around them and the longer this mission got, the worse it got. Ali ignored it to the best of her abilities but it was really starting to grate on her nerves. The cave was gorgeous, glowing with gemstones and probably what would be mako. Their lovely walk came to a halt when the cave branched off into two tunnels. Her hand found their way up the rough stone gazing at it curiously. Genesis scoffed.

"What's up with you?" She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to him.

"These aren't natural tunnels. Someone's made them." He took another look at them.

"Huh...you're right." Ali took a few steps back and gazed around.

"Gimme a sec..." He narrowed his eyes at her and watched as she closed her eyes and stomped the ground. Her eyebrows furrowed angrily as she opened those vivid blue eyes of hers. "Holy crap..."

"What?" Ali's eyes connected with his.

"To start, this place is huge. Like at least ten to twelve stories deep BUT there is someone down at the end. They're through this tunnel." Genesis sent a suspicious glare her way.

"You expect me to believe you?" She pinched her bridge and rubbed it in agitation.

"Seriously? You're gonna start this? I don't know what your deal is, but I'm your partner." He scoffed at her.

"You're nothing but a nuisance. You women can't handle yourselves in battles." An eyebrow twitched.

"You dislike me because I'm a woman? What a pig." She turned and headed down the tunnel. Deep down Ali knew that _that_ wasn't his issue. Did he see her as a threat? Hopefully this whole thing will be resolved. Thumping sounded next to her as the red head caught up to her.

"You were going to leave me behind?" Her blue eyes rolled again.

"No, but you listen better to actions than to words." He didn't argue with her as they continued down. Time crawled as the caves narrowed inch by inch as they furthered down. It came to the point where Ali and Gensis had to walk in a single file line and crouch down to get through.

They had to have been in that cave for at least an hour, if not two by the time they met the end. She bent down lower to peek through the tiny hole that lead to the next room. This room was huge glowing with crystals and a river of mako. She turned around to Genesis.

"Alright, about fifty feet from the drop here, I see a circle of candles and someone laying in the middle of it. There is nothing else but that." He nodded to her and she crawled to their destination. Thankfully there was a little ledge on the other side of the opening or else this would get really tricky. She hopped off the ledge and landed gracefully below. Genesis followed close behind as they begun their sneaking.

Now only about twenty feet from the centerpiece, Ali gazed out from behind the rock they hid behind and saw the same person laying there. From the looks of it, he hadn't moved let alone it looked like he wasn't even breathing. The candles flickered violently momentarily before returning to normal. Genesis and Ali looked at one another confused. What exactly was going on?

" _Thank you for coming...puppets..._ " With their cover blown, Ali and Genesis came out from hiding and watched in horror of the limp man floating in midair. The candle flickered once more and the man lifted his face to meet them. His eyes were dark and soulless and it occurred to her, this man was being possessed. Black sclera and red iris's sent a chill down her spine. Genesis drew his blade and launched right at the possessed.

"GENESIS!" Ali yelped in surprise as the reckless young man lept to their enemy. The man raised his hand and while in mid leap Genesis stood still, floating helplessly. He began to grunt and groan as this darkness snaked and slithered up the red head. "Crap...crap..." she cursed to herself and acted upon the first thing that came to mind. In one deft move, Ali unsheathed her blade and threw it to the possessed human. The blade glistened in the dim light emitting from the crystal driving across pallid skin. Crimson liquid sprayed violently when the sword pierced a main artery making the creature growl and stagger. The young woman rushed to her companion's side grabbing his upper arm. "You alright?" He wrenched his appendage angrily out of her grasp.

 _Yup..._ The two of them returned to their full height, gaining their dignity back and posing a threat to the enemy. Tendrils of shadow began to creep around the room slowly killing what little light they had. Movement in her peripheral made her weary of the same darkness crawling behind them taunting their death. With each and every second the light dimmed more and more leaving them extremely restricted with their sight.

Without waiting for the possessed to make another move, Ali trotted carefully around watching blood red eyes follow her. Her mouth twitched into a confident smirk making the man of the day grimace angrily. The motions came naturally as her body turned fluidly grinding her foot into the rock. Her speed was unmatched as each time she came closer to the creature he would raise his hand to stop her, Ali would gracefully sprint out of the way.

Genesis caught onto her tactics and followed behind, irritation grinding at his heart. This woman was outplaying and making a mockery out of him...he would not have it. At the same time the young man kept a keen eye on her and wondered if the encroaching darkness was playing tricks on him. There were moments where his forced comrade looked wild, almost wolf like as her eyes glowed with a hunters drive. The way her smirk grew slowly into a wicked grin as she dodged skillfully against the poor sod before them seemed to have an animals bearing. Those moments were brief as she kept a tight reign on her focus.

Ali grabbed her blade, sparks flying everywhere as metal shrieked against rock. That qued for Genesis to begin the first strike. He turned sharply and struck below slicing slim pale legs wide open. Bone emerged from within red raw flesh as Ali slashed along the shoulder blades. The man hissed like a snake throwing blankets of shadow at the two brightly colored SOLDIER. Both rolled away watching the slithering tendrils still snaking around the cavern. Ali finished her roll in a crouched stance watching the bleeding monster carefully.

Red glowed softly which made Ali turn her attention to Genesis. She began to recognize this move as he reeled his clenched hand back and thrusting it forward releasing dozens of fireballs. Thunder rolled as the fire turned and bombarded their enemy in a rain of attacks. With each hit, smoke clouded around the possessed and when the barrage ended; the shadows around them stood still. Ali glanced slowly throughout the cavern, watching, waiting.

Ear piercing shrieking echoed violently around the hollowed room and the young adults covered their ears defensively. Though for Ali this horrible scream resonated painfully within her sensitive ears and she felt thick warm liquid draining out. All the shadows surrounding them jumped suddenly from their positions returning to their master. The curdling scream continued for agonizing minutes until one giant eruption from the smoke clouds.

Both SOLDIER's were thrown from their positions, shadows entangling them once more. Sharp and jagged rock collided against Ali's back as blood wretched from her gasping mouth. Her body fell limply landing with a dull thud. Genesis was no better as both struggled desperately to get back up. The young woman bit her lip, patience ebbing with high pitch ringing in her ears and unable to hear anything else. Ignoring the loss of breath she grabbed onto the wall and regained her feet. She could feel all the minor cuts and bruises healing quickly, a wonderful perk to her Ultimate abilities and just as quickly as she had lost her hearing, gained it back.

There was a stifling silence choking any life left within the room daring it to make a sound. Her cyan eyes caught glimpse of a fluttering shadow from the center of the room. The man that once levitated in the circle now had become this massive lump of black, a void almost, ceaseless and disturbing. Two soft glows of red began to emanate from the shadows and growing more vivid with each passing second. This monster had awakened and was thirsty for blood.

" _Pathetic humans...always striving for more than you can handle_." Her spine shivered at it's voice, so cold, empty, and filled with absolute and utter malice. This thing was not normal and probably would be best described as a demon. The echoic dark voice resembled at best a netherworldly creature, already dead after leading a life of corruption, now returned to spread its will again. " _I still need more...my body is not yet...complete..._ " Half of it's body began to move, slowly but surely stretching off to the side. It was hard to decipher this creature as its body was still purely made of shadows. When part of the shadow stretched, she realized that it was an arm and that said appendage was far from harmless.

It clutched an extremely basic weapon. Long wooden stick with a curved blade on the end, a scythe. Ali noticed movement from her opposite and watched as Genesis stood back up, blood dripping from the corners of his lips. His eyes glowed vibrantly and she could feel it, he was livid, dripping with malice and fury. In his rage Genesis lifted his sword, drawing the tips of his digits across the runic blade making it glow like it was just pulled from the forge. Once again he lept at the demon and she watched with keen eyes a shadowy claw reach out and slammed his form back into rock. Ali took a deep breath allowing her senses to heighten. Everything slowed to a crawl, she could see every detail no matter the darkness around her.

Her enemy's weapon inched backwards as the demon began to draw a finishing blow to the trapped red head. Even with her mind cleared and keeping close track of the possessed, it's movements were ungodly fast. She had only one option.

\ \ \

In his next moment all he could register was this odd warmth across his face. A figure silhouetted before him and shiny metal sparked against one another and slowly his conscious regained feeling. Ali had just taken the blow for him, the tip of the weapon deep in her back slowly grazing across her side. She had used her blade to cut the clawing grasp holding him down, watching it dissipate into thin air. He watched with wide eyes as the scythe wretched itself from her body, flesh and blood flying. More of her crimson life liquid splattered on his pale countenance and anger began to boil his blood.

"What the hell? Why did you do that?" Her sad eyes turned to him, glowing brilliantly even with dim lights. "What are you trying to prove? That you're better than me?" She shook her head slowly.

"Why are you making this a competition? There never was one Genesis...I just couldn't let you die." His stomach lurched in disgust as realization washed over him. He really had been about to die and she took the brunt of the blow. Now she stood, blood pooling around her ankles, all for him. The dark ruby color that stained against her vibrant cloak struck him as queer. Not a few drops or a stream, a river now stained the soles of his boots. Ali was bleeding, and bleeding badly. There was still determination within her eyes as her eyebrows furrowed and turned back to the reaper demon.

The monster cackled and it's demonic echoic voice resonated within the empty cavern. Metal gleamed with a faint glow as the scythe hauled back ready for another blow. The woman before him staggered a moment before crouching into her fighter's stance. Once again Genesis noticed the feral aura about her. She wasn't just waiting to defend herself, it was the way her body held itself. Her hands strained into a claw like position and they way she lowered her head. Ali was hunting again. He caught her eyes glancing over to him for a moment; perhaps calling out to him to join her.

Genesis answered that call as metal grinded against rock and sparks flew; the young man managed to rise once more and stood next to his comrade. The steps he took squished with blood and it was a sickening reminder of his partners condition. A wave of guilt washed over him. He took his stance and glanced over at her, to which she nodded.

The demon swung his scythe and both SOLDIER dashed forward, craftily dodging the attack and impaling the monster with their weapons; Genesis his reliable sword and Ali her brandished fist. Ali's attack landed first, bringing the monster down to the ground, rendering it incomprehensible. The blade came next as metal carved through dark matter. It surprised Genesis how much resistance the dark matter caused his blade, almost acting flesh like.

Their opponent shrieked once more, its voice growing hoarse and weak. " _Curse...you...mor...tals..."_ The shadows bursted suddenly, and whatever energy it had stolen returned back to the illuminating crystals. When the shadows disappeared a man laid sprawled out on the ground. His breathing irregular and ragged.

"Good..." Genesis glanced over to his blue haired comrade. She had grown pale and the grim face Ali had on made his spine shiver. "Grab him and let's go..." He wanted to say something as she was clearly struggling but the stubborn young woman turned on her heel and headed back. Without another word he grabbed the unconscious man and followed after her.

\ \ \

She knew Genesis was curious and perhaps even worried, but Ali wanted nothing to do with that. The trek back up the mountain was tedious and far more exhausting than it was the first time around. Halfway through the return her wound began to throb and she clutched the gash to ease the pain, even if only a little. She was very well aware of the fact that blood still oozed from her fresh wound and that most steps she took left behind a vivid red print.

"...Ali..." the young woman heard her hot tempered comrade call from behind. Golden rays glowed softly from his pale and smooth skin as she turned to watch him. The entrance was only a few steps away and soon they'd be able to go back home. Ali had begun to hear her own heartbeat. Slow and strong. Her eyebrows furrowed once more as strength and stamina began to quickly deplete. A dark blue gloved hand slammed against the hard surface as her vision began to blur and the world spun.

 _Just...a...little...farther..._ Though at this point it was too late. The huge amount of blood loss and overexertion took it's toll on the SOLDIER as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the ground sped towards her. When her body hit the ground she could feel sleep's gentle caress. She could hear dulled noises, what she presumed being Genesis yelling at her to get up. Vibrations through the ground indicated that Sephiroth and Angeal were rushing to her side. All three men stopped in awe as her vivid blue hair began to fade.

"Look..." Angeal's soft voice carried over. Amongst her change were little snowflakes, fluttering from her locks. It was a sight to behold: pure white crystals drifting in the air contrasted against dark red stains of blood.

Ali let her eyelids droop to a close and welcomed sleeps embrace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! This chapter touches on a subject that I've never written before so it was difficult and for a bit lost motivation. Thanks for sticking around!**

 **Warning: It may be a trigger chapter for some, so you have been warned...**

The sun hung overhead, beating down brutally on the two men. Two SOLDIER's casually kept guard outside the mouth of the ancient rock spiked upwards from years of collision. Silver hair swayed gently with the breeze and the birds chirped blissfully. Sephiroth and Angeal kept up casual conversation as they waited for their comrades to return to the surface.

Both men had noticed a disturbing power surge some time ago and felt it die within the last few minutes. Angeal voiced that the mission was finished and soon they would be going home. A smirk crawled across his smooth porcelain skin which granted a questioning glance.

"This has probably been the least exciting mission I've been on in years." A sharp chuckle and gentle nods was his answer from the black haired man. Minutes pass and the sun inched it's way down the sky; it made the cat eyed man worry for his friends. What could be taking them so long?

Not far from the entrance his sensitive hearing caught onto soft thuds, weary and sporadic. His eyes met sky blue ones as the two guards had the same question running through their head; what was going on? Suddenly a loud thud echoed and Genesis began screaming "get up". Without another thought, both he and Angeal sped to the scene. Blue and red graced his eyes as they approached the fallen SOLDIER, her aura barely noticable at this point. Sephiroth glared at the red head carrying the culprit.

"What happened?" The question came out more of a demand, his leadership skills driving at full force. Genesis stumbled over his words, babbling on about a reaper and shadows. Before Genesis could answer, all three of them watched in amazement at Ali fade back into a tamer color. Snowflakes fluttered about and disappearing into nothingness. It was a beautiful sight. After the amazement, Angeal took the unconscious man form Genesis and hurried off while the red head struggled to get his senses together. "Genesis." His tone was firm and cold. This behavior was completely unlike Genesis and the confused SOLDIER stopped and gazed at his commanding officer. Those firey eyes shone brilliantly against the setting sun, flicks of ember danced amongst each other.

"Sorry. She took a hit for me..." That explained the massive amounts of blood that had stained her clothes and began to pool around her. Sephiroth ordered to get back to the helicopter quickly, if they didn't, Ali wouldn't survive. He shoved Genesis out of the way and picked the small woman up with ease. She surprised him, such a powerful young woman and she seemed light as a feather. He gazed down at her, her mouth gaped slightly open to see soft white teeth and her eyes shut. If he didn't know any better, Sephiroth would've just dismissed her as sleeping. Though with her body completely limp and bouncing with each step he took, the beauty of her in slumber diminished.

He kept a hold of her on the copter, enjoying the feeling of carrying such a smaller being in his arms. The way her delicate breathing brought her body to touch his lightly, it was exhilarating. Sephiroth felt that he was actually needed for once, not just for a mission. The General would never admit that to anyone though; he knew that everyone, even his friends, would take that as a romantic gesture. He would protect her until they got back.

\ \ \

Deep in the night with the moon high above Midgar, the stealth copter descended onto concrete. Turks rushed out with gurneys wasting no time getting the fallen SOLDIER and post-possesed man strapped up and hurried to the infirmary. Sephiroth began with them until Tseng called out to him. The silver haired General turned and gave a glare in irritation. Unfazed the Turk strode up to the irritated General and gave him orders.

Lazard wanted all four of them but with Ali in critical condition, he would have to wait. Sephiroth tried putting it off as well until Tseng insisted that he should be in the debriefing room as well. As General, it would look terrible if he disobeyed orders, even simple ones like these. Agitated the silver haired man strode off with Angeal and Genesis in tow. Tseng suggested for Genesis to head off to the infirmary as well but the red head waved him off. The black haired Turk shook his head.

"SOLDIER's." He turned on his heel and returned to his post within the Shinra building.

Between the three SOLDIER's, the atmosphere was tense and questioning. Both Angeal and Sephiroth had an idea as to what happened exactly, but soon their answers would be answered. Genesis seemed rather quiet and sulky, like a wolf running away with it's tail between his legs. The corridors were long and dark, and it reminded the red head of the huge empty cavern he just came from. Sheetrock and carpet turned into metal and tiled flooring as they switched from housing halls to the central room. Blue glowed softly as they reached their destination.

The door swished open revealing a tired and miffed Lazard. Red caught his eye as Sephiroth strolled over to his usual spot. A blonde eyebrow quirked up in question. Sephiroth gazed down and scowled at the blood that stained his clothes. Black was the go to color as it hid stains well but blood always stood out for some reason. Lazard was surprised at his lack of awareness but it seems the whole night has been an off one. The blonde finally broke the deafining silence.

"Who'd like to start?" His eyes then followed over to Genesis, who begrudgingly told the story from down below. Everyone listened intently giving him their full attention. This story was far more detailed than usual of his, as if it was a life changing experience for him. He used his whole body to tell the story. Demon possessions were rare and often unheard of but obviously the monster had no intention of helping the man take over the world. It wanted to do that itself. Genesis fell quiet after his story seemingly bashful at his own actions.

"Do you see now?" Sephiroth's voice growled across the room as Genesis gazed up. "She's been trying to be your friend for the last month and you shrug her off." His amber eyes darkened in anger and an argument was daring to come right out of his mouth. He thought better of it and turned his head away. Nothing more was said on the topic but Lazard requesting the reports to be filed.

\ \ \

 _Darkness...complete utter darkness. She couldn't feel the ground and begun to realize her body levitated in nothingness. Her body was heavy, heavier than lead and nothing could get anything to move. Blue eyes rose tiredly and met with green cat eyes. With a weight on her chest she wheezed out,_

" _Hello?" Slowly a figure crept into view. At first she could only make out the build of the character...tall and well built. The shadows crowded around him, as the green blinked in and out of existence. She watched with tired curiosity at this shadowy anomaly, this thing that never answered, and wondered what it was._

 _The shadows faded slowly, revealing a very familiar face. Her beating organ that kept her alive stopped in sheer terror when the darkness finally left. His face wasn't calm and gentle as she had come to know. It was predatory and twisted, she definitely recognized the shadowy anomaly._

 _A flame flickered ablaze next to his feet, greedily eating at the oxygen that was non-existent. Their eyes locked to which she drowned under his gaze. Orange began to glow as the flame grew, crawling in the sludge of the nightmare. Ali still couldn't move her body as she wanted nothing more than to cup his face in gentle assurance._

 _The fire began to lick at her legs and feet. It's warm nibbles inched up and she was becoming aware of its increasing intensity. His fire, now an inferno, roared angrily about and the scene became all too familiar. This was Nibelheim...or what would be. Now the heat was becoming uncomfortable and it wasn't a slow burn anymore. The fire began to burn intensely and it engulfed Sephiroth as he turned and left her there. Ali rose a hand against the sludge holding her trying to reach out to him when the fire engulfed her with ungodly intensity._

"AAHHH!" Her eyes jolted open as she swung her body forward bending metal that seemed to be holding her back. The fire from her nightmare didn't stop and the intensity shot through her left arm. Cyan eyes glared at a rather impassive man who seemed far more annoyed about his equipment being bent than her screaming. It was hard to focus as the burning seared further both up and down her arm.

The pain was all too familiar and terror shot through her once more. Heavy audible panting resonated from her and echoed through the room. Ali could feel it crawl and slide through her veins, whatever "it" was. It finally hit her hands which quickly invaded her fingers and into her tips. She was going through it again and the thought petrified her.

"The hell...!" She began to snarl at the man until she noticed a syringe. Her eyes widened as she realized what he had done. Ali returned her eyes to his face and it finally sunk in as to who she was dealing with. "You sick bastard..." He only scoffed at her and already his nasally voice grinded on her. Hojo turned away from Ali and returned to his table and computer, typing in something with deft fingers.

Ali groaned as the chemicals spread further. Now it had gone up past her shoulders venturing both up her neck and toward her heart. Each and every second seared into her as the concoction ate away at her blood and veins. Any moment now and she would feel the liquid enter her heart. There was this beeping next to her; she gazed over to her right and saw what looked to be a heart monitor. Ali's panting became heavier and the beeping increased. She would never be able to brace herself for the pain that would come.

She screamed loudly as the chemicals entered her heart and she could feel each little vein and artery fill with fiery damnation. Her arms and legs struggled against the metal bed and strappings that held her fast. Even with her strength, Ali couldn't break free. She was stuck to endure the hell Hojo had placed upon her. The monitor next to her beeped incessantly as she tried to combat the agony that racked her body. Knives tore through her heart as the liquid took its time going through her life keeper and Ali's throat became hoarse as the screaming continued.

Her body became limp when the chemicals finished through her heart and succumbing to the fire that flushed her face. Raspy breathing passed her lips as Hojo returned to her. Even with the energy leaving her burning limbs she still managed to glare at the greasy faced man.

"Interesting." She gritted her teeth and bared them to which he raised his eyebrows in interest. Sweat poured down her face and soaked her clothes making them hug her tighter. He turned away again and called out for someone to fix her table. The help surrounded her cautiously closing in. Feeling annoyed and trapped, Ali wanted nothing to do them. When one was close enough to touch she feinted, scaring the poor sods. One fell to his rear and the others just backed away quickly, terrified of her. Hojo barked impatiently at them, reminding his help that Ali couldn't harm them even if she had tried. She glowered at his back.

"You slimy piece of garbage. Release me." He only laughed at her provoking her further.

"I'm gaining valuable data, why should I?" Hojo turned and gazed into her cyan orbs, full of hatred and exhaustion. "Even at this point I doubt you'd be able to walk. You might as well make yourself comfortable."

Ali snorted at him, "Please, I went miles uphill from inside the mountain, bleeding heavily. I can handle myself plus kill you if I so chose." His head tilted up in question. Her eyes grew dark and warned him of her intentions.

"Now now, would you really kill an unarmed man? You seem so honorable, what with you being in war and wanting to protect children so much." Her head twisted sideways slightly with narrowed eyes. Ali's mind buzzed with questions. The beating organ pulsed in pain and hatred at the figure before her. Though, he did hit right on the nail. She would never kill an unarmed man, it just wouldn't be right, but in this case she may make an exception.

The men finally grabbed the correct machinery to fix her bent table and brought her laying back flat. How in the world could she not move the metal nor break her bindings? A thought crossed her mind and sent chills down her spine.

"You've been watching me, haven't you?" Her question made the man before her smirk and cackle.

"Why, what a clever little girl. I'm curious as to how you figured that out." The way he grinned, like a Cheshire cat, pissed her off. There was nothing more at that moment that she wanted than to ram her fist into that frail bony face of his.

"Don't think too much, it may sprain your brain." There was no way she would give him satisfaction. He scoffed at her pinned self and turned away to analyze readings that had just popped up on the computer screen. The chemicals radiated in her core and throbbed in fiery pain witch each heartbeat. A sound of curiosity emanated from the psychotic scientist as he turned back to her and dared a hand upon her leg. "Get. Your. Hand. _OFF_." Hojo scoffed once more.

"Girl, you have no authority over me." His hand continued on her leg and began to search her body landing on her stomach. Ali snorted and bared her teeth again in a feeble attempt to threaten him. He completely ignored her attempts and hummed in thought.

Off in the distance a door opened and closed in smooth motion and an unfamiliar scent invaded her olfactory. Ali paid no heed to it as she kept her death-like glare on the man touching her. The clicking echoing through the lab suggested a well dressed man, and in a way, Ali was hoping it was a Turk. Much to her unfortunate luck, it wasn't.

"I never figured you one for this kind of activity, Hojo." Agitated eyes gazed up from his work over to a blonde male dressed up in a clean pressed white tux.

"Welcome Rufus. What does the President's son want from me?" Blue eyes lingered to Ali's who was inspecting him closely. He smirked at her with beget him a dark and unpleasant face.

"I had heard that the new little SOLDIER had been holed up in here..." he gave a quick mischevious grin to Hojo, "unwarranted." Hojo's hands left her body and matched gazes with the young man. "Now my question is, how did you intercept such a lovely specimen?" Ali didn't care for the wording Rufus had chosen for her but the staring contest going on before her was rather interesting. Rufus was completely calm and in control, in any sense of the word you could think of, while Hojo sat there slowly becoming angrier with each passing second Rufus gazed at him confidently.

"Turks aren't exactly the brightest." Rufus's head twitched in an acknowledging nod. He moved himself closer to Ali and repeated the same movements as Hojo. Two men in one day, violating her space. It was enough to make her vomit and go insane. What drove her to the brink of insanity was the fact that she could break both of them in seconds, grind their bones into dust...but she laid there pinned to a metal sheet.

It was there she began to feel her sanity slip. Hojo scoffed and turned away to the table reaching for something. Glass scraped across the wood and she gazed dangerously over to the man. Bright blue eyes widened in fear. The little monitor next to her began to beep quickly again with each step the scientist took. Hojo was going to inject her again and Ali understood what it was.

Through the clear glass of the syringe, bright green illuminated brilliantly mixed lightly with blue. Terror racked her soul as the needle mercilessly broke her skin and within seconds the liquid pervaded her system. Her high pitched shrieks of pain echoed violently through the dark lab, shattering smaller glass equipment.

The pain erupted far quicker than last time, growing to intensities she had never experienced. This conflagration wrecked her body as splotches of bruising appeared across her exposed skin and faint green lines ghosted in her veins. In the distance she could comprehend the help screaming in terror and fascination calling for Hojo to gaze at a larger screen.

While Hojo left her company, rather annoyed at that, Rufus kept Ali company watching with fascination at her muscle work whilst thrashing. His enjoyment came watching the emotions race through her eyes, anger and remorse. Vitality and exhaustion. There were moments where she had this aura of a beast. The way she would gaze at him with vehement ferocity, like she would stop at nothing to kill him. Even with her screaming, her voice still seduced his inner cinders. Absentmindedly Rufus's hand found her once more enjoying the pain it brought her from invasion.

Her mind buzzed incomprehensibly as Ali could feel Snowfleet trying to communicate but a dull barrier kept her soul mate at bay. Ali's voice dulled after tiring minutes of screams and shrieks only to be replaced by raspy gasps and shallow breaths. What little energy she had left Ali felt drain quickly with the veins being repaired from being eroded by mako. It pained her so that the torrid pain had yet to subside and with no other means of letting out her pain other than panting like the beast she was.

The unwelcome greasy face of Hojo came back into view as he eyed her wondrously. He almost seemed like a child learning something fascinating for the first time. His hand went back to her stomach.

"Interesting...what do you hide from us?" Hojo's words passed through her ears as gibberish. Moments pass and he repeated himself with more frustration than before. Words were becoming understandable as her own gasped from pallid lips.

"Your...death."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I keep getting distracted with other things that sadly are more important than my lovely fanfic. Adulting sucks, ya know?**

 **Thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers 3 'Yall have been amazing and kept me going.**

 **Nothing belongs to me but Ali.**

Sephiroth never had been a fan of paperwork and this time was no exception. Lazard gave each of the SOLDIER extra work due to the complexity of the last mission. Possession wasn't unheard of but still an uncommon occurrence. The clock across the dimly glowing room ticked by slowly aggravating the General. It took an extra hour to finish all the work between the actual task and Turks interrupting him.

Angeal finished his portion shortly followed by the silver haired man. The two patiently waited for their last comrade who sat in perturbed silence, embarrassed by his attitude and miffed by the scolding he received earlier. Rubbing leather sounded as the man stood from his work space to follow his two closest friends to the infirmary. The black haired SOLDIER turned to his superior.

"Do you think she's alright?" His voice quiet and gentle as the group passes presently busy Turks muttering to themselves. Sephiroth chuffed.

"What makes you ask that?" His green cat-like eyes turned to the man beside him. Angeal glanced back to Genesis before his eyes locked with Sephiroth's again.

"Well, she took some serious wounds and lost a lot of blood." A pang of worry invaded Angeal when he remembered how much blood had pooled around her and the trail that fell behind her.

"Angeal," Sephiroth started, "she is one of us. She's fine." Even with his smooth charming voice, the black haired man couldn't help but to worry. Even a SOLDIER has their limits and she may have reached it on the mission. Genesis stayed back wallowing in pity as guilt eroded at his conscious.

The dark narrow hallways continued on and on making the travel all the more burdening for Genesis. Soft white light dawned the hall after strenuous still minutes and the infirmary was just a few feet away. A nurse, busy with her clipboard, collided into Sephiroth and a frenzy of apologies spewed from the poor girl. A leather clad hand rose to silence the woman and a warm smile came from her which meant that Sephiroth had given her a little smile. Her voice was warm and melodic.

"How can I help you three? You don't look injured." Sephiroth shook his head and inquired for Ali. Her face scrunched up in confusion which lead to a red flag for all three. The silver haired General turned to Genesis then turned attention to Angeal.

"Ali should've been brought here with serious wounds after our last mission a few hours ago. Dull short brown hair clad in bright blue?" The nurse's lips tilted into a lopsided frown as she shook her head. She apologized to the three and excused herself. Each SOLDIER turned to one another with a face of concern. None had to speak as they could read one another. The Turks had one job and they failed that. Their question now was where was their comrade? Silence enveloped them and not long into it, realization dawned on them.

Sephiroth turned and hurried along, Angeal and Genesis trailing quickly behind. They descended down flights of stair inhumanly quick, practically jumping down multiple steps in hopes that it wasn't too late to save her from the pain of a certain scientist.

They were all frustrated, why exactly did the Turks give Ali to him? Given they didn't know that Ali was already an experiment and any other testing may kill her, either that or send her spiraling into insanity. Each flight of stair became darker only with a small light illuminating with a soft glow of green. Seven flights down now and the glow of mako glimmered faintly. The three of them made quick work of the last few flights, fast pacing through the halls.

Other lesser known scientists gawked in fear as the three hurried through their halls. They knew something was wrong for Sephiroth and his friends to come down this far. He turned down the last hall and saw the glass of a familiar lab come into view.

A deafening draconic roar erupted, shaking the whole surrounding area. Sephiroth, Agneal, and Genesis covered their ears desperately trying to ease the pain ringing in their ears. The glass to Hojo's lab shattered and the roar rang ten-fold. Just a few more moments and the roar stopped allowing the three to steady themselves and pushed forward. Glancing into the room Sephiroth noticed Ali strapped to a table, her wound still visible, and veins glowing green. Gensis and Angeal gawked. The red head knew it, she was an animal.

Dark blue wolf ears flat against her noggin as pointed fangs bared viciously at Hojo and Rufus. The blonde gazed over to them and an annoyed expression crossed him for a few moments before he stepped back. Ali growled causing Hojo to back up and reconsider his situation. Without another thought, Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis barged into the lab closing in on the scene.

/ / /

Hojo laughed at the incarcerated woman. His death? How amusing, it became obvious her energy had depleted to near nothing and she could not in any way get out of her bonds. Gazing at her midsection his scientific curiosity began to burn. Whatever was in her managed to take over one of his computers and scare the living daylights out of his hired help.

Rufus questioned the scientist who only gave a simple answer. Her face had contorted into something other than human. Pain what a marvelous thing.

"You seem to be on the brink of insanity. What were to happen if I injected another tube of mako?" Hojo's voice reeked of malice. Ali wanted nothing more than to watch his body go flying across the dank lab, slamming into valuable machinery.

 _Ali, please. Hold on._ The blue haired woman didn't reply to her companion. Snowfleet only felt the twinge of malice her mother could radiate. _Mother..._

"You will rejoin the Lifestream." Deep down, where her sanity lie dormant, Ali knew what little stamina she had left would not amount to anything. The level it took to repair her body from the mako literally eating at her veins took most of it. If Hojo were to do it once more, there is no telling where she'd be.

The thought terrified her. In her few short years of being an Ultimate, the queen never came close to this level of madness. She knew when defeat was, or rather, when a battle should be over as to not kill. This on many occasions nearly cost her own life. Ali never minded, keeping her pride and dignity as a human being. Though, here in the moment, she never had such a blood lust and the idea to rip apart another person. If she were free, Ali would love nothing more than to tear him apart, hearing his cries for mercy and to let him live.

Watching Hojo, Ali realized, that he was Kore and Kore was Hojo. Two worlds, same person.

Said person turned away disappearing into the darkness of the lab. She hung there glowering at the last place his greasy head showed. Rufus motioned for her attention. Her hard eyes never lost the icy chill while glancing over to the blonde. He didn't flinch and never gave way to fear. The blonde clad in white started grating on her nerves.

"I can get you out and in a safe place. All I want -" Rufus had started with a smooth charismatic tone when her cracked and hoarse voice interrupted; her face also contorted with pain and anger.

" _Fuck off_." Her choice of words managed a moment of surprise out of the young stoic spoiled man. Metal clanking caught her attention as a white coat reemerged from the abyss. Another vile glimmered gently amongst the lights of the room. Bubbles stuck to the wall of the glass and despite the gentleness the color and insides gave, Ali knew the pain that he would shoot through her system.

Cognitive functions shut down as her second nature emerged from hellish depths of pain. Fear and panic settled as she struggled against the table, bending and gently tearing at the binds. Ali could see Hojo's lips move but no words reached her ears. Her thrashing intensified when Hojo began to reach for her arm once more.

The man grew increasingly frustrated as his test subject refused to stay still. He missed more times than he cared to admit. Ignoring his own fear, he grabbed her arm and rammed the needle into her.

She lost it. Any plausible sense of control shattered, scattering across the void of consciousness. Her mouth stretched bellowing out a horrendous roar, shattering the glass and shaking the foundation of the building. Hojo fell to his butt while Rufus danced to keep his balance. Ali struggled more and thrashed violently to break free of her bonds.

The straps would not relieve her while her roar quieted again. Her lips curled back revealing elongated canines ready for the kill. Both men came back to full height when Hojo noticed motion over to his now broken windows. Sephiroth had figured out where his SOLDIER had been far sooner than he wanted.

Glancing back to Ali, it was intriguing to watch the girl. Those dark blue ears of hers twitched listening to her surroundings and how her pupils constricted to almost nothing. All her sense of humanity had been replaced with feral instincts. A hint of pride coursed his veins. He, Hojo, made her resort to absolute nothing.

The three SOLDIER's came up and their leader gave a hard glance at his father. His gaze returned to his newest companion as she hung helplessly snarling at everything she deemed a threat. Sephiroth's presence was no different and received fangs and a hiss. A pang of hurt struck at his heart watching her struggle; this state of existence was not meant for any person. Angeal moved about the lab, perhaps trying to find Rufus that had scurried off while the three were distracted.

Sephiroth tried to reach for Ali, give her a sign that he was no threat to her but was received with backlash. Those dark blue ears of hers flattened tightly against her vibrant hair while her draconic snarl lashed forward in a motion to snap his hand. She was further lost than he originally thought.

"Extraordinary, isn't it?" Mako green eyes turned to the greasy man exuberant with his handiwork. Silvery hairs quirked at the middle aged man, questioning his sanity. Did Hojo not have any kind of grasp at the predicament he put himself into? Facing fully to the man that donated half his genetic code to the Silver General, Sephiroth glowered darkly.

"Extraordinary at the amount of stupidity you exuberate." Hojo's face switched from proud to angry defiance. The man began stuttering out profanities only to be silenced by another roar from Ali. Sephiroth chuckled at the terror on Hojo's face.

"Sephiroth!" The man pulled his gaze over to the black haired SOLDIER who motioned him over. Following the motions, he followed Angeal over to a massive monitor with a large creature plastered in green pixels across the screen. Genesis joined shortly after and they could feel Hojo sneaking over to see. The beast snarled with the words typing out,

 _Leave...bastard._ Sephiroth turned and glared at Hojo who grumbled and argued lightly before another snarl plastered across the screen. Without another word, the man skulked away leaving the three SOLDIER's with the beast.

 _Save. Her._ The creature, who Sephiroth would appoint more to a wolf, spelled out at the bottom of the screen. Sephiroth voiced his interaction with Ali moments ago. The pixelated wolf blinked a couple of times. _She. Is. Lost. We. Have. Never. Been. Pushed. This. Much. Before. Keep. Trying..._ The ellipsis made them realize this creature is far more intelligent than any other creature. Whatever it was, was capable of emotion and cognitive thought.

 _Please..._ Sephiroth nodded and watched the wolf turn away from them and what looked to be walking until fading from the monitor. The three wasted no time returning to their comrade. Hojo stood over his table typing away at his computer. His beady eyes turned over to them as their boots clunked against metal floors.

Sephiroth planted himself firmly before the struggling woman, her eyes, lost in eternal strife, boring straight into his soul. Her tongue licked out, wetting her teeth and lips just like a wolf cornered. He could hear the beginning rumblings of a growl rattling from her chest while his hand began to reach out once more.

Ali snapped at his hand once more but this time he never flinched nor wavered. His gaze kept to hers, hard and cold. He watched as her eyes twitched over his face and subtle muscle movements. Her guard was lowering, watching him cautiously. His hand moved again closing the gap between him and her. Walls came back up leery of the man trying to touch her. Sephiroth's gloved hand landed on the strap holding her wrist.

He watched as her eyes narrowed suspiciously but made no threatening posture. When she made no movement, Sephiroth knelt down to her ankles. Slowly as to make any sudden jerkish movements, he undid the strap that linked her ankles together. He saw her bare skin for a few moments, seeing bruises and raw skin. Ali had been struggling the whole time but these pieces of fabric were built specifically to hold her down. He stretched back up to full height re-locking his gaze with hers. The silver haired man could tell she was fighting for reason, trying so desperately to gain back her sense of reality and security.

His glove clad hand found her wrist once more, pulling up the flap and stretching it out for the metal prong to leave the hole in the fabric. When the silver piece fell back, Sephiroth released the strap in his hand and deftly bending to catch the falling woman. He heard her gasp and finally all her muscles relaxed against him. Genesis came up and grabbed the remaining fabric releasing her other arm. Her extremity limped smacking Sephiroth's side as it fell from it's restraint.

He repositioned her so that she didn't hang off his shoulder. Her head rested against his chest, near his heart. Sephiroth turned, ignoring Hojo's defiant cries. Angeal and Genesis came forward following their General without question. As Genesis strolled past the scientist, his palm found the back of the man's head giving Hojo a good smack. A sound of surprise came from him as he caressed his head glaring at the three as they disappeared beyond his labs vision.

Their boots thudded loudly unafraid of those who gazed in their direction. The only thing on their minds was getting Ali to a safe place. Green cat eyes gazed down protectively as he watched her eyes droop sleepily. The woman in his arms desperately fought off slumber, most likely afraid to slip into it at this point. _Hold on._

"Where are we taking her? Gast?" Sephiroth moved to nod at Angeal. His partner knew him all too well. Sephiroth responded firmly.

"At this point, he's the only one I trust. Her original wound was never taken cared of let alone all the chemicals coursing through her body." Angeal nodded when Genesis gazed over to her. The mako still glowed vibrantly through her skin, giving her a tribal aura. Bruising erupted all over her as the chemicals ate away more and more of her vessels.

"It almost looks like a severe case of Mako poisoning. Her body isn't accepting the Lifestream..." Genesis's voice rang through. Sephiroth shook his head. _Of course it isn't. She isn't from here. It could be that the Lifestream may be rejecting her too._ They hit the stairs once more, spiraling up and up around the metal platforms. This stretch of the journey seemed to continue on and on without end. What was it with ShinRa making things unnecessarily large? It wasted so much time getting to where someone needed to.

The top finally emerged, scaring a few of the associates meandering along the halls. Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis hurried along, following memory of the lab they needed. Turks moved quickly out of the way at the group of four. Tseng watched as they passed by and caught a nasty glare from Sephiroth. What surprised him the most was the woman lying limp in his arms. Was that not Ali? Why was she like that and what exactly happened. He turned and set off to find the Turks he entrusted her with.

Slowly but surely the corridors slowly came to end as they came upon Gast's lab. The door 'swished' open catching the man's attention from the monitor. He rose and greeted the three. Explaining their situation with as little words as possible, Sephiroth got his point across with the scientist. He heard an audible sigh from the man.

"Turks...very well then," He motioned for a bed nearby as to which Sephiroth laid the woman down. He felt a tug at his jacket only to see Ali subconsciously holding onto him. His fingers intertwined with hers, assuring she was okay now. On que, her arm flopped down as slumber lured her into a deep sleep. Gast noticed and clicked his tongue.

"Poor girl," his deep voice resonated in the dark lab. Being in his lab felt far more comfortable than in Hojo's. Here, one didn't feel encompassed by evil tainted aura. The lab gave off a sense of security and safety. "It may take a while. Hojo did a number on her." With that he motioned to some chairs off in the corner while he readied for operation.

The three sat down and watched impatiently as the man covered his hands in latex and started on the woman they had come to care for.

 **Minor edit: I did more research on the scientists and I mixed up Hollander with Gast (I remember that Sephiroth trusted one scientist and for some reason Hollander was stuck in my head, but alas, research proved me wrong). I've never actually played FF7, just have done major research on it (thank you Kingdom Hearts). Hollander is just as bad as Hojo...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya! Here's another chapter for you guys :3 Also, thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews 3 I try to write when I'm not completely exhausted from work. Love you all! 3**

 _The endless sea of nothing cast out for infinity. There was no warmth, no light, no darkness. Such an image made her cringe as her finite brain could hardly register such a thought. Basic concept of absence meant darkness but there was none this time. Maybe a state of between for her? Ali could barely register at this point. Too much all at once. She managed to recall her last few moments, being carried by Sephiroth to another scientist. Didn't he know better by now? The young woman had absolutely no trust with scientists, especially ones from ShinRa. Though if memory served right, which processed slowly from utter exhaustion, Sephiroth had a deep rooted trust with Gast. So to him they went. She remembered being laid down by the Silver General and her hand unconsciously grabbed onto his jacket._

 _Ali hoped he caught on to the hint. He did but ignored her pleas soothing her with gentle words of comfort. Then she woke up here, in this plane of nothingness. The absence of absence. It's sight terrified her for reasons unknown. Was she dead? No...she could still feel her heart beating. Ali was alive but where was she? Her eyes motioned down to what she would typically assume was the floor. Little specks of blue and green dripped into existence. Finally, something she could process in her over taxed brain._

 _Like rain, the little drops emerged from nothing radiated a soft warm glow. She watched as they came together, forming a little trail down further into non existence. Her legs moved on their own accord and followed the path set out. Each step taken felt like water, the little 'plips' as her foot landed, gave a sense of calming. The little drops below her began to glow brilliantly, swarming into a sea of blues and greens. It looked so beautiful and calming._

" _Beautiful..." Her mouth motioned and words spoke, echoing gently through the casm of her dream. Ali raised her hand to touch the light flittering about. Her pale hand resonated the gentle green glow of the tendril before her. The same tendril entwined through her fingers, giving off a beautiful gentle warmth. It crawled up her arm and she watched curiously. Suddenly she could feel a tugging in her mind, almost a knocking. She closed her eyes and focused on what was happening._

Alien. _Her eyes shot open at the voice. It was angry and menacing. Ali's mind raced at the voice trying to tap her head. Hurt and pain resonated with the voice trying to make it understand. Though what she couldn't understand was where it was coming from._

Alien...you are...alien. _Again it sounded angry but not as harsh as the first time around. The tendril began to squeeze her arm and the glowing in her arms came back. Her eyes widened with panic as the experiments were still tormenting her in this state. She shook her head._

" _You're the Lifestream, aren't you?" When she questioned the voice the little green whip stopped and eased it's grip on her. Ali sighed with a heavy heart. "I know...I know I'm an alien. I shouldn't be here...but I didn't come on my own. I was forced here. If you wish, you may see my memories." She could feel thought against her conscious. Ali let up the wall of guard she had built and gave access to the Lifestream. As angry as it was, the force gently prodded through memories until it found her last battle before her transport. The little tendril around her arm relaxed and began to coax her._

Not...like...calamity. _Jenova. The Lifestream was afraid she was another Jenova. She shook her head at the whip. It grew in size and wrapped itself around her._ Calamity...cells... _What? What did they mean by that?_

" _I'm sorry? I have her cells? How?" A sense of confusion invaded her mind. So the Lifestream didn't know how she had them. But then a greasy faced man came to mind. "Hojo...sneaky rat. That's what he was injecting into me...it wasn't just Mako..." Blue and green shone brilliantly as the whips caressed her body. Pain eased it's way away from her as she felt calm serenity invade. The Lifestream was speaking to her again but Ali could hardly make out what was spoken. At moments she thought she heard 'protect'. If that were the case, what was she supposed to protect? Or protect what from what? She gazed about. Platinum shimmered in the distance and the Lifestream shyed away from the form. Her eyes narrowed at the figure as it floated closer and closer._

 _It's head hung lowly with silver hair shrouding the face. But the body suggested a feminine form along with a blueish tint for skin. It suddenly dawned on her. Ali bared her teeth at the form closing in on her. She wanted nothing to do with who it was. At her growl the head rose and deep pink, almost red, eye connected with her. Ali snarled while Jenova gracefully leaped at her._

"AHHH!" Ali shot up from her nightmare panting and sweating pools. Nausea caught up with such ferocity that without thinking she formed an ice bucket and in one lurch, the contents of her stomach poured from her mouth. After a couple of hacks and gags, the nausea settled down. Ali only set the bucket down after she stopped dry heaving. A white cloth emerged into her vision bringing her eyes up to a familiar face.

"Sephiroth...guys?" Ali felt her hand grab the warm damp cloth and thanked him quietly for the rag. The cloth was of a soft cotton and it's warmth felt wonderful against her cool sweaty skin. After wiping her mouth, she folded the fabric in half and washed off her salty porcelain skin.

When she finished, she laid her hands down in her lap with the cloth clutched in her small hand. Her eyes gazed over the three men by her bedside. Genesis stood while Sephiroth and Angeal took seats. Ali's mind began to wonder why they were here...not that she didn't want to see them. In fact, it was a huge relief to see their faces first instead of some scientist. Though, what had her confused was that she wasn't anything special to be worried over. She herself was still new to the team. Why did they care so much about her well being? Her voice was quiet but firm, "what are you guys doing here?"

Genesis snorted and shook his head while Angeal gave a pained worried gaze. Their reactions made her even more confused. Did she really mean that much to them? To be honest, they already meant a lot to her and would do anything to protect them. Even though they really didn't need it.

"We were worried about you? What else?" The crimson SOLDIER retorted back at her. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Enough to sit by my bedside until I woke up? That's usually reserved for really...close friends...are you guys saying?" Sephiroth gave one of his rare smiles. She felt her heart flutter, the way he was looking at her. Heat rose to her cheeks and crept up to her ears. Ali lowered her head so that cyan locks of hair could cover her mortified face. A smile found it's way onto her face as a wave of happiness flooded her heart. She managed some courage and looked back at the men with a smile on her face. "I'm happy then."

Heavy footsteps broke up their reunion as Gast came back into the room with a clipboard in hand and a dark scrunched face. His hair dark and short coming to a widows peak with a little mustache under his nose. _I did come in a few years before anything actually began. So everyone will still be around...sepaking of which. Snowfleet? You there?_ Another wave of happiness encroached on her heart as Snowfleet answered to her woken mother. Everyone in the room waited for the Doctor to give prognosis.

Instead he came to her bedside and did a typical routine checkup. A light flashed into her eyes, tongue out with 'ahhh' and a checkup in the ears. He even asked her to bring out her canine ears to check on those as well. She gazed over to her companions who nodded. Within moments her human ears disappeared and wolf ears sprouted atop her noggin. She felt fur moved out of the way and the little otoscope peer into her canals.

Little flakes flittered about as her wolf ears disappeared returning her human ones. Gast jotted down notes and went back into the back. She could feel eyes on her as they waited for her turn back to the SOLDIER's. This was the hard part for her now. Explaining what was going on with her and what exactly she had been hiding. Most likely ask her why she had been hiding it. Slowly her eyes returned back to her friends.

"What exactly is that?" Her eyebrows came together in confusion at the vague question Sephiroth presented to her. His black covered hand pointed to a remaining snowflake that floated. Ali let out an audible sigh as she pursed her lips in thought. Her hand raised and pointed to the last snowflake,

"This is a snowflake. It's...part of my powers." Sephiroth knew better. He knew she wasn't telling them everything. His face switched to an authoritarian gaze which ushered her to continue. "As I've told you guys before, I'm an experiment. I was not only given super human strength, but I can control ice at will. As far as I can tell, I don't even need snow nearby or anything. It just comes out of nowhere." Ali could tell Sephiroth was a little more pleased with that answer. Genesis came over and sat at the foot of her bed, looking right at her. His blue eyes, tinted with and ever so slight shade of green at it's center, gazed right into her. Her bright blue eyes held stead with his, never wavering from him.

"What, or who, is that wolf that spoke to us. It told us to save you." So, Snowfleet showed herself to them? This intrigued the young woman as she felt the wolf leave her body. Without word Ali smiled and waited for her companion to come in.

"You mean me?" All three turned their heads away from Ali to see her blue furred companion striding into the middle of them. Her wings folded nicely against her sides and a gentle aura emanating to assure them she was no threat. "I am no 'it' for future reference. I am female and wish to be addressed as such." Ali chuckled watching Genesis react to Snowfleet. His mouth fell open at her remarks and made quick glances over to Sephiroth and Angeal. The two of them just watched curiously at the scene before them.

Snowfleet continued forward to rest her head in Ali's lap. Her bare hand found the top of her noggin and gently patted her 'daughter'. Snowfleet's tail wagged gently as her bright blue eyes shut in contentment. Gast came back and took note of the wolf in the room by jotting notes down.

He cleared his throat and took on a stance of concern. Everyone turned to watch the Doctor. His eyes were dark and lost in thought. Gast's eyes landed on Ali, which she figured she knew what he was about to say. That dream she just woke up from said everything that was probably about to come out of his mouth.

"It seems your body reacted well to the mako after some time. Which in such a case is highly unusual." _Must've been when I let the Lifestream search my memories._ "Another thing...it seems Hojo had more planned for you than mako. It seems you have...Sephiroth's cells within you." It caught her off guard that he specifically kept Jenova's name out of the conversation. She turned to Sephiroth who still had a hard gaze on the Doctor. It dawned on her.

At this point in time, Sephiroth believes his mother is Jenova. Not some calamity from the sky who was bent on destroying the planet. So to say she had Sephiroth's cells meant Hojo was trying to create another superhuman.

"So he was trying to make another superhuman? What for, I was already there..." Gast shook his head. She regaled the moments she could with Hojo. It was disturbing and made he want to crawl away and scratch away her skin. Ali felt so dirty and violated, especially with Hojo's and Rufus's hands on her. The discussion ended and the scientist left.

Ali returned her attention to her comrades and struck up idle conversation. It felt nice just to relax and not worry about another mission or anything else that could be wrong at the moment. Each of the men had their turn with Snowfleet as she went to each to get a petting. She gave Genesis more trouble than any of the other two which was hilarious to watch the red head get flustered. In the end she allowed him to pat her head and run his hand down her back.

The young woman stretched out and felt an odd draft. For the first time she gazed down to what actually covered her. Strips of white greeted her eyes as she processed what it was. Ali touched the fabric that covered just above her breasts down to her waist. It was medical tape alright and just enough to cover. Her bright eyes turned to where she should have had a gash and saw blotches of crimson through the bandages.

When her eyes came back up, she saw Sephiroth watching her as Angeal and Genesis spoke with Snowfleet. Her cheeks flushed red as she pulled the thin white sheets up to her chest. His cat like eyes watched her motions with a smirk to which she rewarded him with a nasty glower. He shook his head at her.

"What are you looking at?" Her pouty face was only chuckled at while the platinum haired man shook his head even more.

"It's amusing that you just noticed." The red in her face turned five shades darker and felt the familiar burn on the tips of her ears. Muttering 'pervert' under her breath she looked around the room for some change of clothes. She desperately wanted a shower and some new clothes. Ali felt her old pants were still on but the idea of walking around in just bandages made her uneasy. "What are you looking for?" Her attention went back to Sephiroth who just sat there watching.

"Clothes..." His head motioned in a manner that said there were none. In a word, she deadpanned. Did they really expect her to walk out and to her room with nothing but bandages and pants on? "You really expect that I'm just...oh good grief you do." A scoff came from him.

"It's normal for SOLDIER's to walk around with bandages on." Ali rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but did any of them have boobs before?" Angeal and Genesis stopped talking when she said that. Curious to the conversation that was unfolding they listened in. Sephiroth shrugged at her claim.

"Just hold yourself with confidence." Slowly in the back of her mind she could feel a headache brewing. Men. They could never understand. Instead she pushed him off to the side and undid the sheet covering her. Swinging her legs over to the side, Ali stretched her back out a little more, twisting it to give her some satisfactory pops. She twisted the other way to even out her strained back and stood when all said and done.

Ali did her best to ignore her self conscious mood. Or perhaps rather it was her old social anxiety flaring up once more. It had been years since she really felt odd amongst people since she had gained confidence as to who she had become. Awkward teenage years were bad enough but she had dealt with some form of social anxiety until mid war.

The young woman grabbed what little she had laying around and thanked Gast for his help. He nodded and gave her one last look over before they were to leave. Metal clanking sounded until the scientist called out as she stepped through the door.

"Ali, if I may ask this of you...would you allow me to do more testing? I know, Sephiroth told me of your history, but some results the first time around make me worry a little. It's more of I want to make sure your body is working fine...check ups if you will." Her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion. Was he just trying to be polite in this or did he have a darker meaning behind his question.

A glove clad hand rested on her shoulder which she followed up to green eyes. Sephiroth trusted him, so she figured after some moments, she could too. Her vivid eyes came back to Gast and nodded to him. There was a small genuine smile from the man. For once, a man of science didn't want her for personal gain. This man before her actually was concerned for her well being. With her answer, the man before them informed her of his actual station out at icicle in, only stopping by for the day to look for old files that had been hidden away.

The door swished behind them as the dark corridors engulfed the five of them. Ali tried getting Snowfleet to return to her but the wolf insisted on it otherwise. Paranoia kicked in with all the psychotic assholes around who would do anything to get at either of them. Despite this, her soul-mate insisted on being out in the open.

She knew her partner was more than capable of handling herself, even in tight situations. They had gone through so much together and soon to be more with this world they had begun their life in. Paranoia of needles and white coats flooded her preoccupied mind soon with anxiety settling in. A cold wet nose bumped into her palm causing her to look down momentarily. Glimmering blue eyes gazed lovingly up easing the growing worry in the young woman. Ali's pale soft hand found it's way to the furry top of the wolf's head.

It amazed Ali how little the males around her cared at her, what she felt, exposed chest. Hardly anything sat between her and a wandering hand. Though with Sephiroth and the others nearby it probably helped her situation. Here and there a Turk would chance a glance at her. No response from her granted nothing in return and she was left with some peace of mind.

A familiar blonde came around the corner, nose buried in a clipboard full of papers. He only gazed up when the thumping of their boots became loud enough. His eyes were immediately on Ali. Poor Lazard.

"Ah, there you are. Doing well I presume?" Her shoulder twitched for a nonchalant response. Tired blue eyes met his.

"As well as I can. Just need some actual sleep." The man nodded and started off again before pausing with a serious face.

"Oh, as for you four...er, five" Lazard corrected himself quickly when he noticed Snowfleet. Each of them turned to face the director curious as to what he had to say. The way he slowly squinted his eyes and darkened his demeanor made the little woman wonder what they had done to deserve such spite. Perhaps her folly back in the mountain?

"I want all of you to go on vacation. A beach house has been reserved for you on Costa Del Sol." His posture relaxed as all four SOLDIER let out a sigh of relief and even welcome. Strange that he would bring up such a topic right after she joined. The blonde dismissed himself and went about his other business. The trips between areas of the building became quicker as she traveled them, becoming more accustomed to them.

Genesis turned down one hall saying his farewell with a quote from LOVELESS. In another corridor Angeal took his leave with his trademark wave. It left her with Sephiroth alone. Butterflies fluttered incessantly at the sudden privacy between them. Though it was short lived and silent.

Her corridor came up and as she turned off to her right Sephiroth continued down. Words never exchanged between them and he never said goodbye. A slight twinge made it's way to her heart as a part of her wanted some kind of engagement with him. Bright blue eyes watched her.

Keys jangled as the young woman clutched a small ring of metal tools. She could feel her life organ thudding lightly against it's cage, the overwhelming emotion of infatuation clashing vividly against a raging rational mind. Her fingers fumbled slightly before grabbing onto the correct key. Clicks and clacks rang out as the young woman returned to her room, back leaning against the door. Giggles caught her attention as Ali watched her companion's sides twitched lightly.

"What's so funny?" Snowfleet never did answer Ali only throwing a knowing glance to the teenager. The young woman grunted at her. "Seriously...this isn't funny..." One of Snowfleet's white eyebrow dots rose in question. For a wolf, Snowfleet really had an expressive face.

"How so? It's amusing because you can live out your fangirl dreams." Ali's head lowered in shame while a blush began to creep across her face. She could feel her small but full rosy lips stretch out into a thoughtful frown and her brows furrowed deep. Long cyan lashes fell as her eyes gazed sorrowfully into the distance.

"That's the problem...I work with the man now. And good God, it's terrifying but...amazing." Pushing herself off the door she began to pace about the flat. The blue wolf sat watching the hormone raging teen ramble on about the not so terrible situation she was in. "He's gorgeous! I never though I'd use that adjective on a man, but look at him! In person his features are just that much better! And his voice..." Ali's body shivered at the thought. She stopped momentarily as she daydreamed about Sephiroth's smooth and silky voice.

"Then why do you bicker and fight with him so much?" Ali shook her head in response. There was no real explanation as to why she tried to size up to the man as much as she did...other than Alpha complex.

The little wolf sat there watching, learning, and figuring out her human. Their bond sent whirlwinds of emotions and complexities between them confusing the furry beast. Never before had Ali been this complicated about her emotions or her thoughts. Every time Snowfleet tried delving into Ali's mind, there was just a cacophony of muddled thoughts and memories. Not one thought finished and focusing on one was fruitless as it withered away before she could grasp onto it. There was one she did manage to understand before leaving the clutter of a brain her mother had.

"Ali...you aren't going back to Earth. Gaia is your home now." She stood and headed off to the bathroom gazing back one last time. "You may as well go after Sephiroth and see where it goes. It wont kill you." With that the wolf disappeared and the shower began.

Pain erupted in her chest as the wolf's words rang clear. Ali knew better but kept hope even after her friends had said there was no way back. A tear fell down as she let reality set in.


	9. Chapter 9

Bright rays shone brilliantly down upon the ship that rocked gently against the oncoming waves. Luminescent locks of hair danced freely with the wind as a young woman leaned against white railings watching the waves below her. The water shone brilliantly as she watched mesmerized. Ali hadn't been around larger bodies of water very much. Last time was when she was a child of eight or so.

The gentle crashing against the side of the boat sang a sweet melody easing the girl into a zen like state. With the four SOLDIER's going on vacation it gave Ali some time to think about how to change the future for everyone. Every bit of her wanted to save everyone, even those she disliked. Glancing over her shoulder, Ali's bright blue eyes landed on the boys and a warmth settled into her heart.

She loved them, in a sense of friendship. The last three months have been a roller coaster with them, but now, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Returning her eyes to the water, Ali regaled through her memories of what she knew of Gaia. More specifically of how these three and ShinRa affected it.

Sephiroth was Project S of Jenova's wake, Hojo's greatest accomplishment which would fuel his ego even more considering the silver haired man was his own son. Said General knew the scientist was his father and refused to ever talk about it. Genesis and Angeal were part of Hollander's experiments but in the long run don't match up to Sephiroth's. Her heart ached at the thought.

Hollander's theory would have Sephiroth donate some of his blood to his essential brother's to save their lives. Ali's mind wandered trying to figure out if it actually would work considering that in all instances of the matter being brought up, Sephiroth denied it feeling betrayed by the two. She didn't blame him since Angeal only parted when Genesis deserted. Neither said a word which Ali would be spiteful as well if Natalie and Kaylie did the same to her.

ShinRa company was the bigger issue with all that happened behind closed doors and how they're upsetting a lot of citizens for taking advantage of the Lifestream. Which brings to mind of AVALANCHE. The "terrorist" group of the game. Barret and Tifa would be plotting at 7th Heaven trying to take down Mako reactors around the city. If Ali were to stop Sephiroth purely from going insane...

 _Well shit...actually_. She began to think to herself. _If I stop Sephiroth from going insane and killing everyone then Cloud would never join AVALANCHE since Zack doesn't die..._ Her brows crinkled in thought at the complexity that Sephiroth influenced the world. _Which means that any attempt to take down Mako reactors around ShinRa would end in failure for Barret and his rag tag team of "terrorists". They would die which may cause heart ache for Tifa and Marlene. Tifa may go for revenge at that point -_

A hand rested on her shoulder. Breaking her of her thoughts, Ali turned and gazed at a silver haired man watching worriedly. She gave a small crooked smile to him trying to ease him away from her. To her chagrin, it didn't work.

"You're absurdly deep in thought. What troubles you?" One shoulder shrugged at his question. She didn't want to answer him honestly and he had this terrible habit of knowing when she lied. It actually really irked her when he did that. "Ali." He used that tone of voice on her again and she despised every part of it. Ali sighed audibly and shook her head. She knew she really had no other choice.

"I do have a lot on my mind. The complexity of it I would rather not talk about. And yes, I know we're on vacation but this is the perfect time for me to think about it since it wont distract me from missions." His feline eyes watched her carefully, deciphering her words. The strain of his gaze made her shift slightly, irritated that he wouldn't trust her words. His hand left her should and leaned against the railing in the same fashion she did.

"Do you still not trust me?" His sweet melodic voice chilled against her bones as he maneuvered his way through her insecurities and simple avoidance. Ali smirked and scoffed at his question.

"The same could be asked of you, dear General." Her sarcastic lilt did not pass over him. He watched as her blue eyes scanned over the ocean still lost in thought and barriers trying to hide herself from him.

"I do." Her barriers shattered with those two words as she gazed over to him surprised. Those full pink lips mouthed "you trust me" while her blue eyebrows scrunched in confusion and surprise. He gave a nod which made her turn away from him. An odd reaction to this open conversation.

"Look..." His head cocked slightly at her pained tone. "I can't say much now...but I think I've gotten visions from the Lifestream. It has a lot to do with everyone at ShinRa. I can't say much for yours, Genesis's, and Angeal's safety...so please..." her eyes locked with his with sad determination, "don't prod me too much." He was quiet for some uneasy moments. "I promise, I'll tell you when I know it's right." He took longer than Ali would have liked but finally he nodded.

As he sauntered off he made a quick remark of how she could always come to him for help. Ali agreed to it and kept to herself the rest of the way to Costa Del Sol.

/ / /

It was nice to finally get off the swaying boat, right at the end it started making Ali sick to her stomach. The sun beat down ruthlessly, which she had detected a couple of hours ago and the noise of the port made her feel on vacation already. Being the first off the boat, she turned and waited for the boys who... _patiently_ strolled behind an elderly couple. At least Sephiroth and Angeal were patient, Genesis on the other hand was obviously annoyed at being slowed down.

Ali giggled and watched as the boys finally caught up to her. The red head certainly wasn't amused but she ignored his vehement glares, following Angeal and Sephiroth to what she assumed was their little getaway place.

The streets were crowded with both tourists and locals, going about their daily routine. Beats of drums, winds, and string instruments echoed over the cacophony of the crowd making the market an upbeat attraction. They passed the inn heading straight for the beach not far off from the port.

People littered the sandy shores of the beach, chatter chorusing through the atmosphere. Ali caught a few gazes glancing in their direction. Curiosity egged at these individual's, that or they could tell their were SOLDIER. Either way, it made Ali squirm under their gazes. She never was good in front of crowds.

Sephiroth veered off to the side motioning for the others to wait for him. His destination was a little wooden shack signed "Main Lobby". Her bright blue eyes wandered around them, taking in the beauty of Gaia's nature. The water, just a bright and blue as the Caribbean, glittering brilliantly under the radiant sun. Palm trees scattered along the coast allowing a few burnt people to take cover under the broad leaf shade. For a moment she forgot this wasn't Gaia and felt right at home.

Shifting sands returned her attention to the silver haired leader returning with a silver key in hand. Without word they followed him, trusting that he knew where their shack stood. Quiet minutes passed as the wooden structure came into view. It was small but quaint with its straw roof held together by a little piece of rope. Sephiroth unlocked the door as the five scrambled into the front room, escaping the overwhelming heat.

It was just like back home in the shack. Wood floors and walls held together by weaving rope together; the sea breeze wafting through the miniscule holes of the house. It was beautiful. The furnishings were adorable, complimenting the simplicity of the surroundings. A red sofa fitting three adults, coffee table stained dark to stand out, and a fireplace to keep them warm at night. Off to the corner behind the living area sat an adorable kitchen.

Ali sat her bags down for a moment and examined the kitchen. The cabinets were loaded with pots and pans along with other utensils to cook with. Her eyes landed on the fridge with curiosity like a cats. Swinging one door open she was greeted with a nice cool breeze and lots of food. The other door swung open revealing more foods for her to cook with. She nodded in appreciation and shut the appliance.

In the background she could hear Genesis arguing for one of the rooms and something about not sharing with a woman. Ali went back to her bags and wandered down the hall to two doors. _'Oh boy...'_ She thought to herself. Sephiroth leaned up against the wall right outside the left door gazing in the room. His cat-like eyes wandered over to her to which she cocked her head. He motioned into the room. She gazed into the room with Genesis pouting at Angeal, which the older SOLDIER patiently waited for the red head to calm down. Said red head turned to gaze at Ali.

"I'm not sharing a room with you." Ali feigned hurt by his words, placing a dramatic hand gesture over her heart.

"You hurt my feelings Genesis! I thought we were friends!" All he could do at that was stand awkwardly and gaze away sheepishly. "Though seriously dude. You gonna bunk with Angeal or Sephiroth?" Her sudden change in mood confused the young SOLDIER. Unable to really respond he shrugged his shoulders and motioned for Angeal.

"I guess Angeal since we've put our stuff in this room already." She shrugged at him and took a couple of steps across the hall into the other room, with stoic silver trailing behind. It was a humble abode, small rugs scattered around, a bookshelf on the far wall, paintings of the surrounding area hung on each wall, and a single queen bed sat on the left. Ali's heart dropped at the sight.

Calmly she sat her stuff down and unpacked a few toiletries finding one of the bathrooms hooked to the other end of the room. She turned on the faucet and splashed water across her face being interrupted by a cold nose at her thigh. Ali's blue eyes gazed down to her wolf companion who had a towel hanging from her maw. Her pale hand patted lovingly. Sephiroth came into the bathroom following his subordinate's lead of leaving out his own possessions.

"You alright?" His voice called out to her in a hushed tone sending shivers up Ali's spine. She could feel laughter ringing within her noggin. A quick glare sent down to the wolf.

"I'm fine Seph. Why?" She retorted hanging the green towel on a nearby hook. Ali turned back to her superior who seemed taken aback slightly. Her head cocked to the side in confusion. "What?" Ali felt a nudge in her subconscious.

 _You called him 'Seph'._ Heat flushed to her cheeks embarrassed at the nickname she just gave him.

"Uhhh..." A rumble started quietly as Sephiroth's shoulders began to shake until he let out a full blown bellow of a laugh. Ali and Snowfleet sat there stupified as the man before them laughed freely. Mildly terrified at this reaction she timidly reached out to him. "You okay?"

His hand came forward and gently took hers. Surprised at the touch, his hand was warm and soft. Unlike all the fanfiction she had read, this Sephiroth before her actually felt...good. The electricity coursing up her arm sending confusing messages through her brain. This Sephiroth was really kind and gentle, not stoic and cold. It was really strange seeing him like this. Those brilliant green feline eyes locked with hers giving Ali such a serene and happy gaze. Her senses were going on overload.

"I'm fine Ali. No one has ever given me a nickname...I actually kinda like it." Everything was becoming too much but at the same time, so enjoyable. Ali actually made him happy, the great and powerful Sephiroth. He laughed, and heaven have mercy, it was sexy. His words made her blush which made his other hand reach up and stroke her cheek and forehead. "But are you alright? You're red."

Her hand wriggled away from his as she felt her cheeks. Turning away she gazed into the mirror. "Huh...I am. Odd." She splashed her face once more cooling off her mortified state. Ali grabbed a nearby towel and patted herself dry. Gazing up her cheeks had dimmed back to a pale peachy color. "There." She exclaimed and left the bathroom. Sephiroth followed and went back to his suitcase unpacking. He dug through for a few moments to pull out a pair of shorts.

Ali gazed over curiously as he grabbed the article and went back to the washroom. A rustling from her left caught the young woman's attention. She found Snowfleet rustling through her bags pulling out a bikini. It was green with black strings working like a "T" on the cups. The bottoms used the black string on the band. Surprised Ali grabbed the swimsuit.

"Where did this come from? I don't remember buying a two piece." Snowfleet smirked at her mother's question.

"Oooooohhh, I may have gone out while you were busy with some paperwork." The wolf spoke as she pranced around the room proudly.

"Snow!" She threw the bikini at her companion and chased the wolf around the room. Sephiroth came out as Snowfleet landed on Ali's head and playfully leaped off teasing the young woman. Confusion spiraled through the man's head as he watched his subordinates run around the room like fools. Green caught his feline eyes as he noticed some clothes off close to the bed. He sauntered over and picked it up.

His hand grasped onto the string of the top and the hip of the bottom, making the top fall back from barely being caught. Sephiroth then realized what exactly he had found. Ali and Snowfleet were wrestling when he turned around to look at them. He felt his eyebrow quirk at the sight. Clearing his throat, Ali stopped and gazed at him. There was a look of horror the fell upon her little face. He held up the bottoms to the bikini.

"Is this what the fuss is all about?" With what little courage she had left, Ali stormed over to him and snatched the piece of clothing out of his hand. Her glare was rather adorable too.

"It doesn't matter! Don't touch a womans stuff!" She stumbled over her words as she knelt down to grab the other half of the swimsuit. The young woman then proceeded to put it back into her bag. Sephiroth cocked his head in confusion.

"Are you not going to wear it? I think it would look cute on you." Snowfleet strolled right up to Ali smirking at the woman who was far too embarrassed to answer. For a moment she tried desperately to answer him.

"I-I don't wear bikini's...Snowfleet bought it as a joke." His face of disbelief was missed by the woman who refused to look at him. It surprised him, she had a decent body to show. So why would she not wear them?

"What's wrong with wearing a bikini?" She mentally berated him for prying deeper than Ali had anticipated.

"I just don-" She began when her companion interrupted.

"She has body image issues." The already flustered woman reached out and grabbed Snowfleet's snout, clasping it shut. _SHUT. IT._ Ali mentally attacked the wolf. Snowfleet gave offense and whimpered with sad eyes. Ali turned away shamefully.

"Why?" She turned to Sephiroth who stood there shirtless with only black swim trunks on. Ali shook her head trying to avoid the subject. She could feel the weight of his gaze on her. Quietly she murmured for him to stop looking at her. He crossed his arms. "Speak up SOLDIER." Her body flinched slightly at his command.

"Please stop looking at me..." Seemingly ignorant, he ignored her request. "...please..." He shook his head. Sephiroth asked the question once more. She couldn't meet his face. This time she wasn't embarrassed out of infatuation but out of lack of esteem.

"I was overweight, alright? I've never quite gotten over my body." Sephiroth watched her for a moment before coming close and getting into her bag. He then pulled out the bikini and handed it back to her.

"Here, wear it for one day. You're not a bad looking woman, Ali." Her cheeks flushed badly and couldn't look at him. "If you can't handle wearing a bikini after a day, you can go back to whatever you had planned, ok?" Ali gazed down at the green and black swimsuit in her hands. He called her attractive. That was a first time outside her own family. Her fingers clutched onto the stretchy fabric and Sephiroth watched with curiosity. All she could was nod and headed off to the washroom. Sephiroth watched as she timidly went to change.

"You hurt her, I'll break you." His green eyes went down to the wolf. "You're the first to tell her that outside her family. I'll break you if you toy with her. Understand." The silver haired General smiled and nodded. He mentioned something about not being that kind of person to which Snowfleet glared with suspicion.

A few minutes later the door opened and out came Ali with her two piece on. Sephiroth had never seen her so unsure of herself. Even he had to admit that she looked good in green. A smile came across his face and another blush erupted across her cheeks.

"See? Told you you looked good. C'mon. Let's go get the other two and head outside." Confused and just a tiny bit happy, Ali nodded and followed after her commanding officer.


	10. Chapter 10

"Whoa!" She shrieked in delightful surprise when Sephiroth dove under and lifted the woman up on his shoulders. Angeal and Genesis followed behind with the red head on the shoulders of his comrade. Her's and Genesis's hands intertwined as the Shoulder Wars began. Sephiroth's hands were strong and firm, making sure to secure his partner on his shoulders. It surprised Ali at how slim Genesis's fingers were. Odd for someone who was as deft at swords play as he was.

Between the two of them, they were deadlocked, fighting for supremacy. Sadly though, Genesis never realized how underpowered he was to her. Though, it was the little things that distracted her. The way Sephiroth held her, his hair against her abdomen, which was oddly soft, and the fact that she was on his shoulders. A squeeze on her leg brought Ali back to the present as she shoved forward in tune with Sephiroth's steps, sending the other two plummeting backwards with a huge splash.

Sephiroth's pale hand came up for a high five and she obliged happily. Angeal and Genesis popped up from beneath soaking wet and shaking their heads. The red head was not pleased with his loss and scowled at her. Ali took it in stride and stuck her tongue out childishly. He seemed confused and surprised for a few brief seconds before laughing aloud.

"C'mon boys, that all you got?" She taunted and the two suited up for another round. They kept this routine up for a few rounds before tiring each other out. The silver haired general tossed Ali off his shoulders to which she yelped in shock. As she submerged, the water felt good after bathing in the sun for a spell. Coming back up, she broke the surface and shook off making sure to get Sephiroth back.

This was fun, she would admit. Going back to a normal state of life was doing wonders for her damaged soul. She could feel normal once more. Ali began back to the shore, wanting to find shelter from the sweltering sun. Snowfleet kept their spot on the beach with a huge umbrella adorned with bright vibrant colors. The young woman closed the gap between them and plopped down on the towel next to her fur buddy.

She stretched out and enjoyed the warmth that the sand beneath emitted through the fabric, easing the muscles in her back. Her right hand lifted and found it's way to Snowfleet's back. A sigh of content slithered through dark blue nostrils as the orchestra of wind, waves, and fits of giggles surrounded them. Ali laid there, motionless and silent, gazing blindly up at the dark under exterior of the over exaggerated umbrella. Her restless mind wandered back home, of modern and comfortable times, with family and friends. The sound of mindless chatter and school bells chiming began to wear at her as she longed for the ever growing distant past.

Suddenly there was a cold nudge in the palm of her abnormally warm hand. Lazily gazing over, bright blue eyes gleamed worriedly. Ali said nothing but just stroked softly atop the furry head. There was some rustling in the bag she had brought along containing towels, sunscreen, and other miscellaneous needs for a trip to the beach. In her dazed state, she just kept staring at Snowfleet who was watching the bag curiously. Ali was intent and amused watching the small twitchings of her wolf's eyes as she examined the dancing bag; only was it when her curious partner drastically switched from perked interest to flattened defense did the blue haired woman turn and look.

Ali gained all her bearing back within seconds, sitting up suddenly covering her chest in a haphazard attempt to become modest. She couldn't believe her eyes, floating before here from the little holographic display of her spherical tool, eyes of her former love interest. The moments were tense and for these moments, Ali couldn't think or process any thought. His strong gray eyes and that gradient blue hair that turned gray at the tips. The moment his lips began to move, Ali's expression turned from surprise to bitter anger, bearing her fangs and growling deeply.

"You _dare_ contact me?" He seemed shocked and uttered out inaudible sounds.

"I -" Ali would not hear of it as she shook her head and hissed.

"You _betrayed_ me and laughed in my face about it! You think -" His voice came over the distance trying to talk over her.

"Please let me -" Only a mouthful of fangs.

"NO! Kaiman! You sent me away! By the order of your -"

"Ali, it's not -"

"Shut up! I don't care! I don't care about your excuses! You vowed to me not only as your Queen, but as your girlfriend that you would be by my side until the end of our days..." Her heart sunk at the thought and went even deeper as the memories came back. "I even found the ring in your room..." Kaiman hung his head, to what she thought was feigning shame. He was unusually quiet until a mutter came from under his breath.

"How did you find it?" Her frown deepend.

"While I was waiting for you to come home from errands. I was trying to find a pencil to draw with." Hidden within one of the bottom drawers under a few layers of papers. It was a simple diamond ring, one that she actually did like, as it wasn't absurdly gaudy with a few accenting smaller rocks.

"Kaiman..." His name tasted so foreign now and with the looming Sephiroth walking towards her, she had to end this quickly. Gray eyes came up to hers expectantly. "You are now a branded traitor of the Queen." With the terror on his face she ended the call by tapping a button meticulously hidden on the bottom. The little contraption fell and bounced once against the sand.

Her hands found their way up, massaging the young woman's face. The sand in front of her shifted as she gazed between her fingers to find silver swaying gently in the breeze. She hummed in question as to what he wanted. Strong digits intertwined with hers as he gently prodded away her shelter. His face showed concern to which she shook her head. Even with her answer, he wouldn't back down as those eyes became more intense.

"I'll explain tonight." His thumb found her palm and with precision pressure, rubbed it in circles making her relax.

"I'll hold you to that." The quote struck her as odd. That scene specifically hasn't happened and Zack was the one to say it. She nodded and he returned back to the water with his friends. Her hand tingled where his thumb carefully massaged. Blue eyes lingered on his form distant and distracted while a furry companion began to nudge for attention.

For that moment Ali turned down watching. Pleading eyes glimmered up as Ali reached out and stroked her head and back. Snowfleet shuffled over and laid her head on Ali's lap sighing in content. She didn't move from there for some time, watching contentedly at her new life.

\ \ \

The sun sat slightly past noon. Ali had her mini grill going as Snowfleet pulled up the cooler. The air wafted well done meats across the beach while she turned a sausage link of sorts. It actually reminded her more of a bratwurst than anything but she could never remember the name they actually called them. Her blue companion came back over with a bag of buns to which the young woman took and began to grill them for a charred effect.

"Could you go get the boys for me, please?" The wolf nodded and trotted off, lightly kicking up sand along her way. Others would stop and stare or take pictures of her while Ali glared at them. People would hold their hands up in defense and cautiously back away. Her wolf companion splashed into the water next to her comrades surprising each one of them.

The whole pack exited the waters sauntering over to the umbrella for food and cool drinks. Each of them plopped down in a horseshoe fashion waiting for the plate of meat and chips with a soda. Ali pointed out the condiments staying cool in the cooler to which the boys hungrily grabbed at to add to their meal. She chuckled at them while picking up trash. Sephiroth glanced over in her direction.

"C'mon Ali. Eat with us. The trash will still be there when we get done eating." Her eyes glanced over as she chuckled at the silver haired man. Shaking her head slightly she took up a plate and covered it with chips and a dog filled bun. Juices from the meat erupted with flavor as she chomped off her first bite and downing it with a cold drink.

All five of them munched happily and shared stories. Each of the men were fascinated with what Ali had to say about her home and how much different her life had been before.

"So wait, you were a chunky, insecure teenager that stayed at home and played video games? What about your friends?" Genesis inquired actually being curious of her former life.

"I still hung out with them. Only on the weekends though when we didn't have to worry about school the next morning." She shrugged playing it off as normal despite the obvious fact it wasn't. Thinking back now there had been nothing to encourage such behavior or anything that could lead her to such a place in life. Her parents loved her dearly, an older brother that cared for and protected, along with good friends. Perhaps in one way or another the chemicals coursing through her brain literally made Ali a shy and reclusive person. Though it still pegged in the back of her mind how children were allowed to wield swords. "Though, I don't understand how this world is so...so...okay with children carrying around dangerous weapons. Zack came to ShinRa when he was like twelve right? How?"

Each of the men laughed lightheartedly amused at her chagrin for the obvious disregard to safety. Children, even at the coming of age, were still inexperienced with the world and had yet to fine tune even their own motor skills. As observant as Ali was, even before her transformation, she had always taken note of the way people moved. Younger humans still worked to perfect their movement and control over every inch of self. Even while in early pubescent stages of life, movements and motions were still jagged and rough; though far better than say a younger sibling barely into their toddler years.

"You don't take my concern to heart..." merely stating the ever so obvious with furrowed angry eyebrows. She did not mind light jest at her expense but they completely shoved her concern and worry out the door. None of these men would ever be good fathers. Angeal patted her shoulder.

"We do not actually, in fact what you say is true. Our children do carry around dangerous weapons, though there is a much bigger difference that you are overlooking. We train ours from a very young age how to handle them." Her head drooped in a way of annoyance and frustration while a snort rushed through her olfactory. Eyes blazed brightly in passion as she readied her retalliation.

"Of course we don't. They don't have the capability to handle a weapon at that age." Sephiroth wagged a long slim finger at her with the clicking of his tongue. Vehemently she glared at the One Winged Angel who dared to mock her once more. "That's no way to treat a lady." A chuckle passed those pale thin lips that curved up into a cocky smirk.

"And since when you have been a lady?" A soft jab to his arm was an answer while he continued. "Though to your other accusation, who says we give children buster swords or masamune's? We give them appropriate weapons for that age, including wooden swords. It is of utmost importance that we teach our young that swords and other weapons kill. Once you've killed a person, that's it. There is no coming back, and that's how people like Zack work their way up in ShinRa from such a young age."

Ali had to sit and mull over what the boys just explained. In the depths of her heart, she still didn't feel comfortable with the situation, but it also was a point to go over the fact that children of this world face monsters and other deadly beasts more often. It actually would be beneficial to teach their young to fight and protect themselves at a younger age.

She conceded the argument and let the boys win this round. It seemed to her that there was still much to learn about this world and how it ticks. Magic was definitely real now and was extremely prevalent in day to day life even for those that can't wield it. Mako in itself was the essence of magic and people used it on a daily basis for energy. Maybe she could talk to the Lifestream again and see if it was in pain from ShinRa using it so much.

Jokes were passed around as they relaxed and let the food digest before returning to the water. Each of them had thank Ali for the food, complimenting on her skills. The young woman gave all the credit to her mother who had taught her from an early age how to prepare food. Sad as it was, culinary arts were a dying practice for many as they had begun to rely on fast food joints for their meals. There it was Ali teased the men that they were slowly turning into her people, unable to cook decent meals.

Of course they vehemently denied the accusation and Ali took up the time to dare them. She wanted to see them cook dinner tonight. Sephiroth was calm in taking up the challenge, seemingly knowledgeable in the task. Angeal was a little hesitant which signaled to her that he had very little experience in the kitchen and of course Genesis claimed he didn't need to prove her wrong. A chuckle came from her lips at his claim and let it rest accepting Sephiroth's and Angeal's challenge.

"I'll do your paperwork for a month if you can prove me wrong." Both men nodded in agreement, seemingly zealous to prove her wrong. Her quiet blue eyes watched as all of them rose back to their feet excited to get back into the water. A soft pale hand found it's way to a certain furry companion and began to stroke lovingly against the top of her noggin.

Snowfleet hummed in contentment as the minutes crawled by. It wouldn't be long before the sun hung low in the horizon and all of them could head back to the hut and escape the droves of tourists and blazing hot rays.

/ / /

"GUUUUYYYYSSS!" Her voice rang out clearly for the boys, recalling them back from a long day of rough housing in the waves. Snowfleet behind her, gathering the items brought out during the day and packing them away safely in the satchel Ali carried. Without question, Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis left behind the cool waters of the ocean and squished their feet in the grainy flooring of the beach.

During the day Ali had left the umbrella to join them, enjoying their company and still desperately trying to fit in. Though her delicate skin wouldn't allow much time out beneath the umbrella. Even with her enhanced body, she still had a weakness with porcelain skin. The agitating sensation on her shoulder was the annoying reminder of days past.

"Oi!" She heard the red head call out to her. Ali turned her head ever so slightly to gaze back at them while her hands worked steadily to pack up their supplies. "How come you didn't stay out with us?" She chuckled lightly, readjusting her hair to expose those slim shoulders. Deftly her finger slid a strap over and revealed a soft burn that left a strong and definite line down her back. "Oh..." Ali laughed again.

"Even as I am, my skin has always been sensitive staying the hot sun for too long. I could never tan and always burned." He hummed in response and graciously grabbed the towel Ali handed to him and the others. Finally packed, all headed back up the bank returning to the adorable little hut that was rented out as their vacation place.

Wonderful A.C blasted in her face as the abode chilled their perhaps slightly overheated bodies. Snowfleet took the bags to each appropriate room and began over to the living room to lay down. Ali flopped onto the couch and watched as Sephiroth and Angeal began for the kitchen. Genesis plopped down of the big cushioned chair next to her and sighed of relief.

A smile found its way upon her mildly pink face as she watched the two stumble through the kitchen like drunken idiots. Despite Sephiroth's calm demeanor from earlier, it was very obvious he had never been taught, or properly instructed, how to navigate and work in the kitchen. Fumbling fingers dealt with measuring cups and figuring out the knobs on the stove. About fifteen minutes of amusement, Ali giggled and removed herself from the comfort of the couch.

With skill and precision she moved through the ingredient like nothing and giving tips to the men, who oddly watched with fervor. Drizzling in some oil into the skillet, Ali dropped the chocobo meat into the pan and enjoyed the sizzling. She sprinkled on salt and pepper turning her attention to the side dishes to go with the main part of the dinner. Potatoes sat on the other counter to which she instructed the two to peel and dice up. They followed her instruction without question as she filled a pot full of water and lidded it to get the boil to come quicker.

Angeal and Sephiroth were oddly quick learners as they skillfully peeled all the vegetables and diced them up. In a colander she washed them off and peeked at the water, which now was beginning to bubble. With the potatoes on the way, she began the gravy. With some broth and cream in hand she finalized their dinner with some fresh green beans as one last side.

"All right guys. Go wash up before dinner." All of them chuckled as Ali worked away at the rest of dinner. She prettied up the meat a bit with some bread crumbs, allowing the oil to stick the coating to itself and frying to a pretty golden brown. When the boys came back she was finishing up mashing the potatoes that were loaded to the brim with cheese, sour cream, garlic, and salt.

With dinner fully cooked she called them over to help themselves, which they did happily. It was music to her ears when the clanking of fork on plate was the only sound in the hut as the boys feverishly scarfed down their food. Ali placed glasses of water on the table to which they gratefully chugged. She chuckled and grabbed her own food to enjoy with her new little family.

Chocobo had a rather similar flavor to chicken, which made it really easy for her to transition into the food she just cooked. It honestly surprised her how similar the foods were, including most of the spices. To be honest, she didn't take into consideration about how different the food could have been which she mentally reprimanded herself for. In all reality, she just won the bet by the skin of her teeth.

Genesis was the first up to get seconds, scooping quite a bit of mashed potato back onto his plate and loading it with gravy. She smiled gently as he sat back down and scarfed into the side dish like a child. Ali, for this moment right here, felt content...and not just content. Was this joy? This strong emotion had evaded her for a few years and it felt wonderful.

She slouched back, her belly full and pleasant pleased with the evening. Sephiroth motioned for her to go ahead of them and shower since he and the others would take care of the dishes for her. A sincere "thank you" to the boys as she excused herself to wash out the sand grating against her scalp. She stripped down to her bare glory, a slim yet fit figure, porcelain pale skin, and and ample bosom. Out of habit she scratched in places that would be considered awkward for a woman but with her bra off, she relaxed into a state of ease.

Testing the water, Ali found it to be nice and toasty for a good shower. There was no time wasted as she washed her hair, multiple times at that, and cleared out sand from unmentionables. Snowfleet joined her and Ali just turned her attention to the wolf. Slim deft fingers dug through the dense but soft fur, grinding away at the sand that pervaded her companion's coat. Ali loved these times with the half wolf and knew through their mental connection, that Snowfleet did as well.

These few and far between moments that Ali forgot about everything else; allowed the world to slip away from her ever buzzing mind, constantly thinking and worrying about this or that. She, Snowfleet, could sense that in these short moments, her mother's mind eased completely and surrendered to nothing. Not thinking about it, Snowfleet rested her head against Ali's, to which the human returned the motion. They just sat there, letting the water run down their wet bodies. Suddenly the moment was gone as the buzzing resumed in Ali's mind clouding Snowfleet's vision into her mother's head.

Sad eyes met focused ones as Ali petted Snowfleet's head apologetically. The young woman twisted the knob off and the echoic silence pervaded as Ali stepped out and grabbed a rich brown hued towel. She closed the curtain behind her as Snowfleet proceeded to shake off the water and shook her butt to dry off the last bit on her tail. Ali already had the towel wrapped around her breasts when Snowfleet hopped out. Snowfleet found it funny that her human had to ask for clothes when she realized she had forgotten them before getting into the shower.

Snowfleet was greeted with a mildly confused Sephiroth as he turned to the door opening with a pair of dark blue boxer briefs in his hands. She rummaged through Ali's luggage and found a simple graphic t-shirt and a pair of sweats along with sneaking a cute pair of pink panties into the set. There was a chuckle behind her to which she answered with a gentle cock of her head.

"Did Ali forget some clothes?" With an amused snort, Snow replied to his jest.

"Yeah, but don't get too excited over it." A little baffled at her remark he questioned her words. Snowfleet quirked an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who told her that you were still a 'man'?" Sephiroth then understood her joke and blushed ever so slightly and turning back to his luggage. This time she giggled at him and returned to the bathroom to give Ali some clothes.

/ / /

Sephiroth had been having complex and confusion thoughts as of late. Today was far worse than usual due to the fact that the center of all his complications were centered around the reclusive little woman known as Ali was wearing a bikini. It was obvious when she walked out of the bathroom that morning she felt a tad uncomfortable showing off so much skin. What a wonderfully reserved woman, she would definitely be loyal through and through.

Though watching her figure gently sway as she strolled along was overwhelming and her bosom? Gaia have mercy, she was well endowed, more than most girls in Midgar and they were natural. Despite some of her childlike outbursts toward him, she was really in control of herself and perfectly capable of handling herself.

During the day he enjoyed watching her play along with them, though it was sad to watch her hide away under the umbrella most of the day. He understood when she explained even to this day she had overly sensitive skin. Getting back to the hut was unnerving from the dare as he knew he really didn't know how to cook.

The evening went by smoothly after that, Ali helped him and Angeal finish dinner, which was undeniably delicious, and let her go shower first. He felt a nudge in his ribs as he gazed over to the red head.

"Got a soft spot for the woman?" His mako gaze went cold as mirth and slyness flashed across Genesis's eyes. There was another elbow to his ribs. "Ah so you do!" It was then that the water started in the other room.

"What are you even talking about? I'm just returning the favor of her cooking dinner..." His friend shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Really Sephiroth? We saw you watching her all day. I mean, c'mon, how could you not? She's definitely easy on the eyes. Plus you went to her side when that hologram thing came up with another dude on the other end. Jealous much?" That's right, he had almost forgotten about that incident. He knew that there had been another man in her life but that was still a thing in the dark since she refuses to talk about it. But then, what was just said made Sephiroth grin like the chesire cat.

"If she's so good lookin, then why don't you go after her yourself?" A frown found its way on the arrogant man's face. It was rather amusing to watch the cogs turn in his head as he tried desperately to find a witty comeback. Taking on a sassy stance, Genesis mocked Sephiroth.

"Well, she ain't my type. That and she favors you out of all of us. She'll answer your orders and hardly does ours. So you better go after her. I mean, c'mon...how many girls are like her? Good lookin _and_ can take care of herself?" Sephiroth shook his head and finished the dishes with the other two ignoring any other jests they sent his way.

With the dishes done he stood before his luggage going through clothes. The water had stopped and Snowfleet exited going straight for Ali's luggage.

"Did Ali forget some clothes?" The wolf's response sent him reeling.

"Yeah, but don't get too excited over it." Surely she didn't mean how he took it? His puzzled gaze gave him an immediate answer from the blue wolf to which he felt a blush rising to his cheeks. The only way for him to keep together was to turn away. Nothing could stop him mind from wandering; thinking of the cyan haired woman in all her glory. This mindless thought brought about an uncomfortable erection which only got worse as the door opened and Ali strolled in.

He immediately went for the bathroom, trying his hardest to hide the tent in his swim trunks. Sephiroth noticed the perplexed gaze from the young woman as he hurried along. The water felt good against his skin, cold to cool off his mind and spirit. His manhood calmed down from the cold touch and when he was fully in control of his body once more, Sephiroth turned up the heat. He wasted no time in finishing his shower and drying off. The silver haired SOLDIER came back out watching Ali brush out her hair, which had grown a good few inches since beginning her life here, and listening to strange music.

His best guess was music from her home and it was a woman singing. The girl was singing about love and heart attacks which was an odd mix to him but the beat obviously got to her as he caught slight jerks indicating she was dancing along to the song. She finally noticed him and stopped immediately. Moments go by as those blue eyes watch him carefully and all he did was laugh. His body moved over to the bed, grabbing his own brush and began to brush out the long strands of locks that adorned his slim head. He noticed the way she was looking at him, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

"What's the matter?" His eyebrow quirked in genuine curiosity. She mumbled at first with a vibrant blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry? You're mumbling." Somehow that blush got brighter.

"Could you put on some pants..." It took him a few moments to realize that he was just in his underwear and she could see him in almost all his glory. He didn't necessarily have a large package but it did bulge more than most. What confused him the most though was how uncomfortable she was with him in this state. She did have a lover before, correct?

"I don't mind putting some on, but didn't you have a lover before? That blue haired man from the hologram earlier?" Ali ended up covering her face in both embarrassment and frustration.

"He wasn't a _lover._ He was a _boyfriend_. There is a difference." It suddenly dawned on him.

"You're still a virgin." She faced him in anger, her face redder than a tomato and reaching up to the tips of her ears. Ali tried to bite back at him for being so brash but all that came out were stumbled words which made her more flustered. "So you've never been this...'intimate' with a man before huh?" Her eyes turned away from him mortified and angry. Without another word he found a pair of sweats and put them on while Ali pouted on the other side of the room, slouching in a chair.

"Ali." She didn't move and would not look at him. "I did not mean to step on toes there. I assumed and that was my fault." She sighed in frustration.

"Yes, the guy who called me over the hologram was my ex. His name is Kaiman...and..." she tightened her fists that lay idly on her lap. "He's the reason I'm here." Hence the title of former, ex, etc. It clicked with him. He motioned for her to come over, to which she obliged. The guys were right, she did listen pretty much only to him.

She found her spot next to him on the foot of the bed. His hand found her knee which felt so small in his hand. Ali was something to behold, emotionally broken and yet keeps getting up everyday to face the world head on. This world was probably just as broken as hers, if not more as she had already witnessed with the child in the mountain village.

"Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore, right?" Her blue eyes met his mako green ones with sad curiosity. "He can't come here right? Even if he did, we'd keep you safe from this Kaiman." A soft snort and shaking of the head were his response but caught a glimpse of a smile. His long slim finger poked her cheek which finally rewarded him with a giggle.

He watched her closely as she locked gazes with him. There were a couple of times those gorgeous eyes wandered down, looking at his well toned abs and arms. At one point he caught her eyes lingering lower than they should have and a small smirk found its way to his well defined face.

"Did you like what you saw?" She jabbed him in the arm and glared ferociously.

"As if!"

"Then why did you look back down?" All she could do was look away. She felt smooth and mildly calloused fingers snaking around her waist and being pulled in close. Another finger found her chin lifting those blue eyes to meet his. "I enjoyed what I saw earlier." Sephiroth sent her over the edge as she pushed him away stumbling over her words in exasperation.

"You need to get your vision checked..." He cocked an eyebrow as she turned her back to him. She was definitely flustered now and he quite enjoyed where this was going. "I'm not much to look at." Snowfleet was right, he mused to himself, she has body image issues.

"I don't know if you've been seeing the same woman that everyone else sees then, Ali." Meekly she turned enough to gaze at him and shuddered when locking gazes. His was so strong and firm, definitely the alpha in him showing. "I'm sure even when you were overweight, you are a beautiful woman. Don't let your past interfere with what you could be going for." That blush of her returned as she gazed down at the floor.

It was obvious in those shining orbs that there was an internal struggle going on. Had she been bullied before? Was her weight that big of a problem before? How exactly did she look as...normal? She was definitely vulnerable right now and Ali was struggling to keep him from seeing it, despite the fact that he was witnessing it right now.

"Will you show me how you looked before?" There was a hesitation in her. Should she reveal herself like that willingly? He had already seen her hair as before. Tired from her mental struggles, Ali made a decision.

Sephiroth watched as the vibrant hues faded from her. A soft light ashy brown took over her hair and a pale almost gray colored blue took hold of her eyes. Enamored. Sephiroth would admit to anyone that he felt enamored by this woman.

"You always have been beautiful, you know that?" His voice rang out holding a hand up for her to grab. Another hesitation came over the woman as her own appendage tentatively clasped onto his. In a smooth movement he pulled her into his lap and wrapped strong arms around her. A strong chin rested upon her head as they sat there like that for some time.

 _/ / /_

 _Author's note:_

 _I apologize for the delay. There was a change of jobs and a huge wave of depression that hit me. The depression before the new job. My old job was mentally, emotionally, and in a way physically draining. Then a friend who left my former job and went into the bank I'm working at now, put in a good word for me and now I'm feeling soooooo much better. This is my longest chapter so far, OpenOffice claims that it's 10 pages long (before this AN) and 5K words. Usually my chapters are about 2-2.5K...so yeah. I hope you enjoy this development between Ali and Sephiroth!_


	11. Chapter 11

_It was pleasantly warm, the breeze upon her cheeks and gently playing with soft brown locks. The grass beneath her feet a luscious and vibrant green, full of life and vigor. A pleasant array of perfumes lingered into her nose, that of cool spring water, wild spring flowers, and gust of wind. It smelled like home. Oh, how home sounded right now. She gazed over her shoulder to see the single family home, standing tall against the world._

 _French windows decorated the front to both her room and to the living room, it's paneling a pale khaki color, bleached by years of exposure to the relentless sun. An off white door protected by similar colored storm door in the recess of the front porch. A lawn chair sat on the porch, covered in faux leather decorated in a weaving pattern and the steps leading up to the recess, brick laden giving a rustic charm. The mini garden that lay at the feet of the home swayed softly in the breeze, almost in a wave of welcome to her. She could feel a small smile against her rosey red lips._

 _Ali would have gazed longer upon the settled house until a chorus of giggles caught her ear. Pale blue eyes gazed back at her front to find loving faces smiling. An older woman, tall and medium built, smiled the warmest at her, who she recognized as her mother. Short straight medium hued brown crowned upon her head and similar eyes gazed at the young woman, to which Ali returned the gaze with as much loving compassion. The man next to her mother of course was her father, not much younger than his wife with peppered hair, defying the actuality of his time on earth. His mustache-goatee facial hair reflected what little was left on his head and stronger blue eyes gazed with pride at his youngest._

 _Next in line was her beloved older brother and his wife, both still vibrantly young even after two children. The baby, asleep and swaddled in blue sheets was her newest nephew, with the same brown eyes as his mother. Her brother, dark of hair from their father, had the same blue eyes as their mother and height averaging between them. His wife competed with their father in height and had dirty blonde locks with gorgeous deep brown eyes, the ones that seemed to suck your soul when gazing too deeply into. Their oldest child shared the same light brown hair as Ali but for now had green eyes and was the daughter of them._

 _She ran happily at Ali, giggling all the while calling out "Li Li" all the way. Ali's heart swelled with happiness, the pure unadulterated joy that one's heart could experience in a time of peace. Momentarily, the young woman forgot about all her woes and struggles while she knealt down, extending her arms out wide to welcome in the little four-year-old into her embrace. The child was running as fast as she could, smile so wide that all her crooked little teeth with those adorable gaps, exposed themselves proudly. It was all so sudden._

 _Just as soon as it begun, it was done. As soon as Ali was to wrap her slender appendages around the small child, she evaporated into nothing. The specks of life flitting away into the encroaching abyss while everything turned into nothing. Utter darkness crashed down as Ali watched in horror the apparitions of her family fizzing away, and the scenery fading. Her hands fell forward landing solidly on the invisible ground beneath her, the glaring darkness slipping into her soul._

 _The change was quick and painful. It wasn't fair that her life was once again torn from her so suddenly...why couldn't she see them for just a few more moments? Couldn't she be allowed even just five minutes in happiness? Why...why did she have to go thorough this Hell? This damned existence of living and continuously fighting against the flow of what some may refer to as destiny and for shits and giggles, fate?_

 _Fighting?_

 _What was she fighting? Was she even fighting? No...there wasn't fighting, no more. She had come to terms with how her life was going to be since the day Kore changed her. And perhaps that was what she hated. She hated how much had changed, even if she were home, nothing would be normal for her. A deep fear had begun to boil in her stomach not long after the change, and it was the fear of being rejected. Rejected by her people, or who used to be her people._

 _Ali, and all other Ultimates, were no longer normal. It was natural for them to fear her and her Ultimates, but the pain that came with it? Unbearable. Depression sunk in for her for what was to come rather than what had happened. Then..._

 _Kaiman._

 _The young woman gazed up from the darkness to see a ghostly figure of the boy before her. It was the way her heart raced and dropped at the same time. She still...still loved him, the kind gentle person she thought she had come to know. Obviously Ali didn't learn anything of him since he was the one to betray her, stabbing her almost literally in the back, and send her through a tear in the fabric of existence to send her to another dimension or world, whichever it may be._

 _Such memories flashed violently in her mind, growling and quickly replacing any soft and tender emotions for the bastard into violent tendencies and atrocious motives. Her fangs bared murderously as the apparition gazed boredly at her, seemingly unmoved by her distasteful reaction towards his presence. It was then she realized that the ghost-like figure before here was quite...not alive._

 _His body never moved nor could she smell or even sense his aura. That chiseled chest, which showed nicely under the skin tight ivory shirt, did not inhale or exhale. What stood before her was the image of her never resting mind; him sitting on the back burner constantly nagging at her. He was one of many constantly keeping her mind buzzing and never allowing a moments rest. It was him and his complete and utter betrayal._

 _The emotions stirring within that small frame were cultivating inhumanly fast and just as powerful as any gale. It took the breath right out of her the pain, anger, and sorrow. Pain from being away from all that she loved, anger at him and his so called "love" for her, and sorrow at losing that love. She wanted nothing more than to feel it once more._

 _Behind her former boyfriend she began to notice silver to which her watery eyes began to focus. It came closer and closer to where she could see green fading though the apparition of Kaiman. The beating organ in her chest began to slow as a wave of serenity washed over, giving the young woman a time of reprieve. This new ghost figure strode through the first, stopping right before her with those strong cat-like eyes gazing down softly. He held out his hand to which Ali tentavely took it. It was strange, that Sephiroth now took up her mind, little fluttering thoughts that would keep her calm in times like this. Despite being see-through, the Sephiroth before her firmly took hold of her appendage and lifted that small frame up. Back on her feet, she gazed into those fierce green eyes, now completely calm and dry-eyed. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and Ali then proceeded to relax her head upon his chest. They stood there for some time, it was hard to tell for her as this emptiness around them had this ambiguous feel to itself as she stood within his embrace. Thoughts of the future and what was to happen flashed before her as she squeezed tighter onto him. He shifted slightly to gaze down at her._

" _I will protect you and the others." A soft murmur from those vibrant red lips. His hand moved to her head as he began to stroke along her hair and repeated the process. Perhaps somehow her subconscious and his had come together while she was asleep? He just felt far too real while she was out like a light. Sephiroth spoke with gentled hushed tones, almost as if not to startle her._

" _What do you mean?" Or maybe..._

" _I can't say..." Suddenly the air changed and Ali realized what had been happening. The form holding her was not Sephiroth. Shoving the being away from her, she glared at the abomination. Sadly, they looked so similar and to that she hissed at the fact this alien was in some way connected to her friend. Jenova, the Calamity, the being that would turn Sephiroth insane, or so hinted at. Those red eyes, glowering with such an intense hatred, mildly dripped with curiosity at the young woman before her. Her voice sent violent chills down her back._

" _And what could you protect them from?" Ali snorted disapprovingly at the monstrosity before her. The alien form in all her glory, pale blueish gray skin so smooth and silky, along with that gorgeous silken silver hair. Dark splotches adorned her breasts, which had no actual defining attributes, not even nipples, were the only characteristics of the alien. Her stunning beauty, despite being an atrocity, made Ali feel inferior and bland._

" _You." Her cackle was no better. Deep and echoic but befitting of her stature. Those eyes shimmered brighter, almost reflecting her amusement at Ali's remark yet glimmered a dangerous flare. Perhaps it was the way her head twitched lower to imitate a psychotic glower. "I'm glad I could amuse you."_

" _You are entertaining. What say you, child, that you...assist me." Ali's head shook in the sense of a dog after a bath, snorting angrily all the while. In a smooth motion her fangs emerged and spitefully bared them at Jenova. The alien creature didn't flinch._

" _You're not very smart are you? I'm very well aware of who exactly you are." Her silver hair danced lightly against the shaking of disappointment. Ali watched intently, never allowing her enemy the upper hand of being unaware. As soon as those pale blueish feet began their trek forward, Ali crouched down extending deep navy claws and stretched her mental influence out to Gaia._

 _Without falter, sea green wafted in, violently lighting up the nothingness of the abyss. Jenova hissed pedaling back a few steps obviously not prepared for the Liefstream to intervene. The energy surrounding the young woman made her hair and loose clothing sway gently and the lighting made her look all the more intimidating. Ali let loose a growl making those blood red eyes gaze back at her with animosity. "I stand by Gaia and her people! You will not harm my friends nor will I allow you to harm the planet further!" This time her mouth gaped open, much that of a wolf, and mimicked the roar of a mother dragon protecting her brood._

 _The alien finally took the hint and faded away cursing Ali's name all the way. Ali finally relaxed in and bathed in the light of the Lifestream, reaching out her slender toned arm and letting the tendrils wrap gently about her figure. Here and there she could feel the lives lost in this flow of energy, speaking last words, or crying out to the heavens. Her heart ached for them only to feel the Stream's reassuring essences against her mind._

Be careful. _Ali heard the gentle cooing of the Lifestream in her conscience. A flash of silver and green etched into her mind as Gaia tried to remind her of events soon to unfold. With her mental influence, Ali stroked against the energy flow to reassure the planet._

" _I know...but he still is part of you. He was beget of two of your people. His father is to blame for his situation..." Seemingly the planet accepted her argument, much to her surprise. The quivering of her heart reminded the young woman of_ growing _feelings. It saddened her though to think of such things since she was not really part of Gaia. "Is it bad I may be growing feelings for one of yours?" The planet grew quiet for a moment before shifting energies._

It is not. You are still human, like mine are. _She took the answer whole heartedly and stroked lovingly against the 'conscience' of the planet. They stood there for sometime enjoying the presence of one another and in some way, Ali could feel the loneliness of the planet. It then reminded her of a question that she had been itching to ask._

" _Is ShinRa hurting you? By taking the Lifestream for energy." It seemed to laugh at her, feeling an odd sense of jovial banter._

No. It makes me happy to see them thrive. _Ali was surprised at the answer...which made her realize that AVALANCHE would be all for naught. The Lifestream invaded her mind once again._ Do not worry. I regenerate and will provide for my people. _It then made sense, when the planet used the Lifestream to protect itself. She nodded and took note of the loneliness from earlier._

" _You miss the Cetra's, don't you? I'll save Aerith...I promise. I'll save them all." The planet cooed to her one last time before it released her. Each little tendril floated away as it whispered, 'sleep', to which Ali complied with._

 _/ / /_

Morning came sooner than she had anticipated. The sun burn from previous days affairs had lightened almost to non-existence but still gave mild irritation when rotating her shoulder. As her eyes fluttered open, she noticed how close she and Sephiroth had gotten during the night. His arm slung over her waist to which the nether regions had been pushed up against his plank of a front. The man before her was still soundly asleep, seemingly peaceful in his own slumber, but the side effects of sleeping had been done.

There was an odd bump down below and it took her a fair amount of time to process what exactly she was feeling. When she realized what it was her eyes grew wide and a blush erupted aross her pale porcelain skin. Ali's mind buzzed with what exactly he could be dreaming of to cause such a reaction to his manhood. As soon as she tried to squirm away, the arm around her waist tightened, which made her feel far more awkward than before.

He groaned deeply, his mind switching from slumber to consciousness and a sigh. Ali sat still, unsure of how to handle herself, sat still as the man before her slowly woke up. Sephiroth peered those gorgeous mako green orbs, gazing tired through heavily lidded eyes. Something sparked in her that made Ali want to squirm. The rush of adrenaline that course through her and congregated in her womanhood. Those eyes of his were a trap and some part of Ali made her think he knew it too. Sephiroth blinked a couple of times before wearily moaning out.

"Why were you moving away?" Ali cursed her luck as he seemed to be aware at all times, even while sleeping. She blushed as her eyes manage to peel away from his. No matter how hard she tried, the blush that adorned her cheeks only burned hotter the more she thought about her position. Ali murmured a 'nothing' to him to which he blinked heavily. "You're muttering." The young woman swallowed her mortification.

"I was readjusting...you're kinda...poking." The moments of silence following were deafening for her as Ali just wanted to desperately cover her face with the sheets. There was a low rumble that she could feel in his chest. She grunted in pout, frustrated at his casualness, which brought to mind the fact that he himself probably had been with a few partners.

"Is this your first time experiencing morning wood?" Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion spreading across her face. She managed to look back up at him, to find a small smile gracing his features. Those pale pink lips stretched thin which seemed to make him all the more attractive. Her look was more than enough answer as he patted her head, rolling onto his back and pulling her along with the movement.

Hovering above him sent her whole body aflame, tingling with curious new sensations. The way her heart raced with each movement he made, how his eyes gazed at her through low lids, and his expertise at placing those strong hands in all the right places. Her own appendages held her upper body up upon his bare hairless chest and her legs absentmindedly had straddled his narrow hips. Ali felt oddly vulnerable in this position as his hands rested upon her child bearing hips. That evil smile found its way to his face.

"Tickle my fancy would you? How often did you and Kaiman get intimate?" He noticed her eyes grew distant for a moment as the traitor's name passed his thin lips. After a few moments, Ali pursed her lips briefly before relaxing and answering what she realized was a genuine question.

"We never really were intimate. I guess perhaps from a fear of dating...I wanted to keep myself pure until marriage." He quirked his eyebrows at the answer. Interesting point of view to take from, considering that right now he could tell she was struggling with what she would figure out to be her libido later on. Perhaps that is why she never became intimate with him, Sephiroth mused, is that she has a high sex drive that had yet to ignite. The motion he actually admired lightly.

"Is that a value that you were raised on?" She nodded and he watched as her hair danced playfully above him. One of his hands left her hip and caressed along that slim jawline. She was intriguingly built, as her jaw suggests perhaps more of her father than her mother. Absentmindedly his thumb began to stroke along her lower lip and was rewarded with a slight gasp. Without missing a beat, the tip of this thumb snaked past those full red lips and happily watched as her mouth gently clasped onto his thumb. It was more enjoyable as her blush returned and spread across her nose and was threatening to go up to her ears.

Sephiroth felt her stiffen as his hand moved from those smooth strong hips to under her shirt. There was an involuntary shudder as his fingertips ghosted against her sensitive skin. This was different for him, watching as the woman before him, was learning her sexuality and enjoyed every twitch she gave him for a sensitive spot. As he pushed his limits, her eyes grew dark. His silvery eyebrow quirked in question.

"You're touching my bra." So she had places where he couldn't touch. His hand went back down but the bleary faced woman was gone now completely back to senses. The best effect on her was when he gazed at her through heavy lids, so Sephiroth tried his luck again. Her eyes widened fractionally and gazed away with a blush. His strong fingers found her chin, returning those bright blue eyes back to him and pulling her closer.

There was no hesitation on his part, as he collided their lips together. Smoothly he began the motions into a passionate kiss. Ali slowly lost grip on her authority, submitting to Sephiroth's dominance. Every little motion he made seemed to thoroughly affect her, from sliding his hand lower down her back and returning to those hips, and his other hand slipping onto the nape of that slender neck.

His own libido began from teasing the inexperienced woman and movements became stronger and far more needy. Sephiroth pulled her head closer, deepening the kiss pausing long enough to breathe. Suddenly he sat up, keeping Ali where she was, nipping down her jaw and onto tender skin of the neck. Her small hands sand on his sides, still confused from the sudden position change, gasping at the sheer hunger each love bite left. She shuddered under him which granted a lowly growl and subtle clawing as his fingertips grounded into her soft skin. He was waiting for that one shriek or moan that would make all this worthwhile, well, even more so.

Sephiroth had been watching her from a distance for a couple of months now. Her subtle confidence, despite the woman's constant defiance of any, was a major turn on for him. It was a compliment to his big ego and felt that her subtle nature would be a perfect match for him. Even now, her meek nature in bed was turning him on so quickly; it would be difficult to refrain from anything more than play.

Finally his hard work was rewarded as he bit down on her left collarbone and a high pitched groan escaped those full red lips along with squirming. Sephiroth held her there, making sure she experiences everything that would be to come, even with all the whimpering and begging she breathed. His mind was slowly losing reality as his instincts were grasping for control. Naturally he kept on her sweet spot, licking hungrily and listened with fervor to her ragged breaths and timid whimpers. Ali begged and squirmed for mercy but the man wanted nothing of it and continued his merciless work on her neck, reveling in her new found weakness.

"Sephiroth!" She groaned a little louder than probably what the woman had wanted as Sephiroth made her reach her limit. His strong white teeth nipped down one last time resulting in a violent shiver and ragged breathing while laying the exhausted woman on her back. He hovered over her, his silver hair cascading around her slender frame giving a curtain of safety for the woman who's face had grown a dark red.

His lips found hers laying gentle kisses upon them and several across her face. Those beautiful blue eyes of hers gazed brilliantly up to him with a touch of exhaustion from the intense stimulation he made her endure. He loved watching her, just the way she was submitting to him and without words caressed those rosy cheeks. Those bright eyes darted away suddenly gaining her senses back and understanding what she had just done, or lack there of.

Sephiroth chuckled lightly at her embarrassment laying another kiss upon her forehead. He lowered his face to meet hers, gently taking hold of her gaze. She blinked slowly, watching him with mortified curiosity. The sunlight began to filter through the curtains as soft yellow rays illuminated the man hovering above her. He was just being so gentle with her and it felt so sudden. She wanted it to be real, that he may have truly cared for her, but everything was purely carnal. Surely Ali wouldn't mistake that for true affections.

But those kisses he had been laying all across her heated skin, so tender and full of genuine love. This man certain was a curiosity, so intense and full of passion one minute and gentle the next. She dared a hand up to his countenance, those little fingertips ghosting his jaw and surprisingly he leaned into her. Ali smoothed her palm up and down his jaw leaving his eyes half closed. A sadness washed over her and the slight change didn't miss his attentiveness. He began to question her mood when Ali placed a gentle finger on his thin smooth lips.

"What do you think of me?" The ways his eyes darted across her face, examining every crevasse of hers, made the young woman feel so small. Sephiroth leaned down and relaxed his forehead against hers, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Do you think I just used you?" It wasn't the whole truth but she did feel a pang of hurt when he said that. It was just a sudden change in his attitude towards her. She never verbally answered but scrunched her face in a manner of half agreeing with his statement. A smile across his lips. "And what if I did?" Her heart crashed, dropping to the pit of her stomach and shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. So it was just a _façade_? Those eyes dropped and turned away broken.

Sephiroth realized his mistake as he thought she would angrily rebuke at his words rather than take them to heart. Perhaps now wasn't really a good time for jest and he hoped he could rebuild the ground he had just made. "Ali..." She wouldn't turn to look at him and he felt a twinge of fear in his beating heart. Even as his hand gently cupped her chin, she wouldn't let him move her to look at him. "Please Ali. I was just teasing..." Suddenly those eyes of her grew dark as she gazed fiercely out of the corner of her eyes.

Oh shit.

She darted up so fast he barely had time to sit back without being hit. Her fangs were bared at him as Ali growled lowly. As soon as the had appeared, the fangs returned to normal canines but her glare still remained and was horribly dark and angry. Sephiroth tried to explain himself but Ali cut him off.

" _This_ is all a joke to you? I don't know how many you've been with, but what you just did to me is nothing of small importance." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and left the comfort of the sheets. "I'm not like any whore you've been with." With that she stormed off to the bathroom and began to clean herself up for the rest of the day while Sephiroth sat in bed rubbing his face in agitation.

/ / /

When everyone gathered for breakfast, Ali sat in the kitchen and cooked, keeping herself busy for the day. Angeal and Genesis watched as Sephiroth sauntered out and noticed the gloom, not only on their superior but on the woman he had shared a bed with. The two were curious what had happened this morning, since one moment they could barely make out moaning from their newest companion and suddenly the hut was filled to the brim with hostility. Both of the men watched Sephiroth who just plopped himself down on the chair that had it's back turned to the kitchen. When the silver haired general wouldn't say anything, both of them gazed to each other with wonder. Angeal cleared his throat.

"So, did you two sleep well enough?"Ali, surprisingly in a neutral tone, answered him genuinely with 'decently' and asked if they had slept well. Sephiroth on the other had just sat there glaring at the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Genesis watched as Ali glared at Sephiroth who was just refusing to be social. She rolled her eyes and continued prepping breakfast. Silence ensued for the next hour as Ali finished her work in the kitchen.

She thanked whoever it may have been that the foods in each world were so similar, as her efforts made a burrito filled with egg, bacon, and random veggies. Ali rolled each up and gave everyone three burritos a piece. Without missing a beat, she placed three plates down on the little coffee table the boys sat at, even the man who had toyed with her earlier that morning. Sephiroth watched closely as she laid the plate before him, never catching her eye, and smoothly strolling back to the kitchen to grab drinks.

"What does everyone want to drink?" This time Sephiroth did answer, catching the hint that he was acting a little juvenile. Once she managed to settle into a spot next to Angeal and began to eat, no words were passed. Ali finished first, leaning back enjoying the feeling of a full stomach. As the minutes painfully passed Genesis finally grew tired of the strained environment.

"So, will you guys tell us what happened this morning?" No matter how hard Ali tried, a blush rose to her cheeks as the memories flashed by. She knitted her eyebrows in frustration and gazed straight at the red head. Before she could reply Genesis held up a hand. "Look, it's fine if you guys fight but this is ridiculous. Both of you are obviously in the wrong." She sat there taken aback at his words. How could she have been in the wrong?

"How are we both if you don't know the situation?" He shrugged sluggishly.

"How about the fact that neither of you are trying to talk out the problem? Sephiroth, this is oddly out of character for you. Now what happened?" Those green eyes glowered dangerously at his subordinate when he caught Ali's hard gaze. She didn't appreciate his cold demeanor towards his friends that had nothing to do with their dispute. But, she could give Genesis credit for his wisdom. Ali was in fact not willing to talk to him right now and only put up a farce of being friendly towards him in front of their friends.

"Well..." Ali started since Sephiroth couldn't bring words to his mouth. A hot burning returned to her cheeks as she bashfully retold her tale. The boys seemed intent on her words, collecting in as much information as they could and slightly amused at her discomfort. "So when we calmed down, I asked him what he thought of me, as I truthfully feared he may have used me just purely for carnal needs. Instead of calming my fears he played on them and hurt me terribly. When he realized that I wasn't playing along with him, he tried to amend by calling it a joke." Both of their friends sat there contemplating what she had said. She finished her story explaining her fiery rebuke at him. Angeal turned to Sephiroth.

"Is this true?" A slight frown found it's way to his already grim face. A few moments later, he nodded gently.

"It is." Both of their friends sighed in disappointment while Angeal ran a hand down his face. What a great way to start off a relationship. The dark haired man ordered both Ali and Sephiroth to talk it out. For the first time after their argument, Ali locked gazes with Sephiroth. The pain in her eyes were still very evident.

Why this woman, he thought to himself. The one that actually bothered him when she was angry with him, or the pang of guilt that clouded his mind when he did wrong. And in that fact, he had done wrong and oddly was really unwilling to admit it. He was extremely frustrated at himself for everything, the way he toyed with her and his childish antics of ignoring everyone when they tried to get him to open up.

"Why?" She started with and he blinked sluggishly. He sighed lightly leaning forward putting all his weight on his elbows propped on those well toned legs. Bright green eyes glimmered oddly, almost as if he didn't know quite himself.

"Truthfully, I was anticipating you bite back at me when I teased you like that. I would have been playful with you again and showering you with affection. Instead you retracted and let my words hurt you where it shouldn't." She cocked her head lightly at his words, eyebrows slighted together subtly.

"Sephiroth, how could those words _not_ hurt? I was back stabbed once already and you took me to a place I had never been before. You _made_ me _vulnerable._ To show you that with the history you knew, how was it appropriate to say such a thing? I'll give you I should've tried to stay as calm as possible and talk it out...but it _hurt._ " At this fact, he couldn't deny that. He was not tactful with how delicate she had become to him, and to him alone.

His eyes kept with hers as his hand extended out to her, inviting the woman to his side. Ali blinked slowly, thinking whether or not to take his invite. Sephiroth began to worry that perhaps she would not take his hand until her lean arms reached out and placing a tender hand in his palm. He pulled her in swiftly placing her tactfully within his lap. She lay in the crevice of his shoulder and resting her face in the nape of his neck. Suddenly the air about them dissipated leaving calm serenity in its wake.

"Please forgive me." He murmured gently to which she sighed contentedly and nuzzled into him. Sephiroth happily took that as a yes and began idle conversation with his two friends while Ali would chime in here and there.

/ / /

The time on Costa Del Sol passed quickly as the days seemingly long, were thoroughly enjoyed making the young adults forget the time. Their bonds were becoming undoubtedly strong and nigh unbreakable. Even as the days pass, she valued the time all the more so.

Their future dangled dangerously before her as she realized the time would have to be soon to save everyone. Not only to save them, but to make sure they all met. It then struck her hard at the realization of the situation. Because of Sephiroth going nuts, they all came together. Zack died, Cloud took on the dead SOLDIER's life, and goodness. She paused momentarily taking in the reality. Sephiroth gazed over to her from his side of the bed, his hair still wet from his recent shower. Ali then turned on her side and watched him sadly. His eyebrow quirked at her strange mood and only grew more confused as she stroked his face with the backside of her fingers.

"Sephiroth, I will need to leave soon...there are a few things I need to take care of." He propped himself up onto one elbow and gazed worriedly down at his partner. Perhaps now would be a good time to ask?

"And where would you be going?" The conflict in her eyes grew darker and made him worry more for her. This was something that had obviously been on her mind for quite some time. She shook her head lightly before answering.

"I can't necessarily say. There are things that will happen...I need to stop them before they do." Sephiroth didn't miss a beat.

"Does it have to do with me?" She made that face again where she half agreed. Finally she fully held him within her ice cold stare.

"It isn't just you. It's all of ShinRa and those who it has affected. Gaia has been speaking to me, recognizing what I could do to help it and her people. My only fear is I wont be able to fully stop everything since what already has been done is horrible." She truly was afraid for him and the others. Before he could ask what she meant she asked him a favor. "While I'm gone Seph," he smiled gently at the name she referred to him in private, "I want you to keep an eye on a few people. Please don't ask and just trust me on this one. Keep an eye on Hojo, Hollander, President ShinRa, his son, and Lazard." She gave no other explanation.

Sephiroth leaned in and kissed her gently. Her eyes were so sad, the silver haired general wished he could ease her pain. Whatever the planet had been showing her must have been terrible. In the next moment, he flipped on top of her, cornering the little wolf she was. Her eyes darted every which way trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"I will keep your words at heart, but you must promise me to come back to my side." She snorted at him and smiled. His hand slipped beneath her night shirt as she stiffened at the touch. He smiled and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to enjoy this night with you. I want to hear you groan again." His motions went back to teasing and playing, never going further than what she allowed. Perhaps waiting to take her purity would make it all the more satisfying.


End file.
